’Quake panic in Sicily

Press, 17 April 1978, Page 8

’Quake panic in Sicily

NZPA-Reuter Palermo (Sicily) Thousands of people fled in panic from their homes ■ when a series of powerful ■ : earth tremors shook Sicily I and southern Italy early; yesterday, the police said. At least two people died! land 30 others were treated, | in hospital for fractures and’ I bruises suffered in a stam- i ; pede on to the streets in' !Sicily’s cities and on the; Italian mainland. One elderly woman died i of a heart attack in Palermo and another old-age pension-I er was knocked down by ai ;car as he rushed half-; dressed from his home just outside the city. He was dead on arrival at hospital. The tremors, which started . shortly after midnight and continued until 2.30 a.m. forced thoursands of people to sleep out in the open. The Seismological In- , stitute at Messina, briefly blacked out by a power failure in the port, reported one tremor measuring seven on the 12-point Mercalli scale and a series of lighter tremors soon afterwards. Many people in Reggio, which has been struck by more than 60 tremors in the past month, rushed into the streets barely clothed and refused to return to their ■ homes until daylight. 1