Disasters Sicily

A moderate earthquake shook eastern Sicily early Thursday, killing 19 people and injuring about 200, panicking thousands and destroying part of a small town, officials said. Worst hit was Carlentini, a town of 10,000 people between Catania and Syracuse, where members of five families were killed when their homes crumbled on top of them as they slept. The quake struck at about 1:30 a.m. and registered a magnitude of 4.7, the Ministry of Civil Protection reported.

A moderate earthquake shook eastern Sicily early Thursday, killing 19 people and injuring about 200, panicking thousands and destroying part of a small town, officials said. Worst hit was Carlentini, a town of 10,000 people between Catania and Syracuse, where members of five families were killed when their homes crumbled on top of them as they slept. The quake struck at about 1:30 a.m. and registered a magnitude of 4.7, the Ministry of Civil Protection reported.