2009年拉奎拉地震

争议事件

2009年拉奎拉地震发生前一个月，一位名叫贾宝洛的实验室技术人员，根据地面增加的放射性氡气排放量，研判会有大地震发生。结果他被意大利民防单位指控危言耸听，还被移送警方侦办，罪名是制造民众恐慌。而就在贾宝洛被移送的同时，官方的专家在拉奎拉召开会议，大量接受媒体访问，保证说不会发生地震。地震发生后，官方的地震测报中心官员遭到民众指控提供不正确的资讯，7名科学家被依过失杀人罪名、求处4年徒刑。但这并不意味着地震预测技术已经成熟，仍需一定时间的发展。

An earthquake occurred in the region of Abruzzo, in southern Italy, at 03:32 CEST (01:32 UTC) on 6 April 2009. It measured 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale and 5.8 or 5.9 on the Richter 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.

The earthquake was felt throughout central Italy. 308 people are known to have died, making it the deadliest earthquake to hit Italy since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake. In a subsequent inquiry of the handling of the disaster, seven members of the Italian National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks were accused of giving "inexact, incomplete and contradictory" information about the danger of the tremors prior to the main quake. On 22 October 2012, six scientists and one ex-government official were convicted of multiple manslaughter for downplaying the likelihood of a major earthquake six days before it took place. They were each sentenced to six years' imprisonment, but the verdict was overturned on 10 November 2014. Criticism was also directed at poor building standards that led to the failure of many modern buildings in a known earthquake zone; an official at Italy's Civil Protection Agency, Franco Barberi, said that "in California, an earthquake like this one would not have killed a single person".

In February 2025, the reconstruction was at 78% in L'Aquila city and in the region hit by the 2009 earthquake in terms of funding and 88% in terms of construction projects.

Cause

This earthquake was caused by movement on a NW-SE trending normal fault according to moment tensor solutions. Although Italy lies in a tectonically complex region, the central part of the Apennines has been characterised by extensional tectonics since the Pliocene epoch (i.e.……

Historical context

Earthquakes mark the history of L'Aquila, a city built on the bed of an ancient lake, providing a soil structure that amplifies seismic waves. The city was struck by earthquakes in 1315, 1349, 1452, 1461, 1501, 1646, 1703, 1706 and 1958.……

Effects

The earthquake caused damage to between 3,000 and 11,000 buildings in the medieval city of L'Aquila. Several buildings also collapsed.……

Aftershocks

The epicentral region saw dozens of significant aftershocks following the main earthquake. The strongest, which hit at 19:47 CEST on 7 April, measured magnitude 5.3 ML and caused further damage.……

List of foreshocks and aftershocks

Only shocks with local magnitude 4.0 or higher are listed.……

Emergency and reconstruction aid

National aid

Many Italian companies have offered some sort of help. All Italian mobile companies (TIM, Vodafone,

International aid

Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi refused foreign aid for the emergency, saying that Italians were "proud people" and had sufficient resources to deal with the crisis.……

Prior warning

Italian laboratory technician Giampaolo Giuliani claimed to have predicted a major earthquake on Italian television a month before, after measuring increased levels of radon emitted from the ground.……

Controversy on reconstruction and criminality

In the days following the tragedy, journalists reported that the reconstruction works may have been infiltrated by criminal organizations, with the Mafia and Camorra trying to infiltrate the contract procedures.

On 7 April, a few hours after the main earthquake, journalist Luca Spinelli stated:

Reconstruction progress

In February 2025, the reconstruction was at 78% in L'Aquila city and in the region hit by the 2009 earthquake in terms of funding and 88% in terms of construction projects.

The city was named Culture Capital for 2026 by the Minister of Culture.……

State funeral

On the morning of 10 April 2009, which was also Good Friday, a state funeral was held for 205 of the 291 victims of the earthquake. It was attended by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano, and many other politicians and church dignitaries.……

G8 summit

The 35th G8 summit took place in the city of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, on 8–10 July 2009. It was moved from the Sardinian seaside city of La Maddalena as part of an attempt to redistribute disaster funds after the earthquake.

Prosecutions

A trial, which lasted from September 2011 until October 2012, found six scientists and a former government official guilty of involuntary manslaughter.……