4.8-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Central Italy Near Florence

A 4.8-magnitude earthquake rattled central Italy north of Florence on Monday morning, causing residents to take to the streets as a precaution, although no immediate damage was reported, according to authorities. As a safety measure, some schools in the affected areas were closed, and train services were temporarily delayed pending inspections of railway lines. The earthquake, measured at 4.8 on the Richter scale by Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), had its epicenter near Marradi, a town with approximately 3,000 residents situated in the province of Florence within the Apennine mountain range. The quake occurred at 5:10 am (0310 GMT). Firefighters communicated through the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that anxious residents had contacted emergency services, but they confirmed that "no personal injuries have been reported at this time." Tommaso Triberti, the mayor of Marradi, conveyed to Rainews24 television that firefighters were conducting assessments inside private residences. He noted, "There is a lot of concern. All the people are in the street but no particular damage has been reported." In 2019, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck the nearby Mugello region, causing minimal damage but resulting in cracks to the facade of a 17th-century church. Mugello had previously experienced a devastating earthquake in 1919, considered one of the worst seismic events of the 20th century, which claimed the lives of approximately 100 people. The central Apennine region is known for its elevated risk of seismic activity.