A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L'Aquila, Italy, killing 307.
2009 L'Aquila earthquake
An earthquake occurred in the region of Abruzzo, in central Italy, at 03:32 CEST on 6 April 2009. It was rated 5.8 or 5.9 on the Richter scale and 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale; its epicentre was near L'Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, which together with surrounding villages suffered the most damage. There were several thousand foreshocks and aftershocks since December 2008, more than thirty of which had a Richter magnitude greater than 3.5.
L'Aquila
L'Aquila is the capital city of the region of Abruzzo in central Italy. With 70,421 inhabitants as of 2025, it is also the second-largest city in the region. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the Aterno river, it is surrounded by the Apennine Mountains, with the Gran Sasso d'Italia to the north-east.