A strong and sustained earthquake registering 5.2 on the Richter scale was reported today in parts of northern Italy, according to Italian media quoted by dpa. According to reports, the epicentre of the quake lay between the cities of Parma and Reggio Emilia. The National Geophysical and Vulcanology Institute said the quake took place at 16:25 pm (1525 GMT) By Tuesday night, no casualties or heavy damage was reported. Italian civil defence agencies were investigating in the aftermath of the quake that was felt from Genoa in the west to Florence and Venice in the east. Police and rescue services in the region received numerous calls from frightened people. Earthquakes are in Italy are not uncommon. Some people ran out into the streets in fear. In the Parma area, telephone networks were affected and a natural gas pipeline damaged. The train service from Bologna to Verona and Milan was suspended temporarily as a precaution.
