Ten years ago, the earthquake struck central Italy. Mattarella: "We need to complete the reconstruction quickly"

 At 3.36 am on 24 August 2016, an earthquake devastated Accumoli, Amatrice and Arquata del Tronto, causing damage and loss of life in many towns across the central Apennines. 299 people died, 239 of them buried under the rubble in Amatrice alone. Exactly ten years have passed since that day.

"That earthquake, for whose devastation Amatrice has become a symbol, represents a tragic chapter in the history of the Republic and serves as a constant reminder of the ongoing need to strengthen the prevention and response mechanisms to be implemented when seismic events occur in our territory," recalled the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, expressing his sympathy and solidarity with those affected by the earthquake, with those who have lost relatives and friends, and with those who helped the local population and tried to rescue those trapped under the rubble, such as “the volunteers who rushed to the scene from all over Italy”. The Head of State praised "their invaluable and generous efforts, which, together with the prompt response of the emergency services, served as a channel for aid and assistance, whilst also offering a sign of hope and renewal that marked the start of the reconstruction process".Mattarella pointed out, however, that “recovery is a journey, not without its complexities, which requires a commitment to be completed as quickly as possible and serves as a reminder of our collective responsibility to restore the sense of normality that has been shattered in the areas affected by this tragedy”.

For Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, over the past ten years “much has been achieved, but just as much remains to be done. And for this reason, we have no intention of stopping. We will give even greater strength and continuity to that great team effort which, in recent years, has involved all levels of national and local government, alongside the economic, social and productive sectors, and has enabled us to achieve results that were initially unthinkable. The objective remains a common and shared one: to rise to the challenge of the revival of the Central Apennines”, she wrote in a social media post.

    

You can read Nicoletta Tiliacos’s in-depth article here