The quake that struck before dawn Wednesday killed 290 people and injured hundreds as it flattened three medieval towns in central Italy. No one was in the school at the time, but many were shocked that it did not withstand the 6.2 magnitude quake. That bell tower also had been recently restored with special funds allocated after Italy’s last major earthquake, which struck nearby L’Aquila in 2009. Italy’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor, Franco Roberti, also vowed to work to prevent the mafia from infiltrating in public works projects to rebuild the earthquake zone. Overnight was relatively calm, the first since the quake struck without strong aftershocks.

Source: National Post August 28, 2016 13:48 UTC