Deadly earthquake hits northern Italy

At least eight people were killed in a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in northern Italy on Tuesday, civil protection authorities said, predicting the number would rise.

The earthquake came nine days after a quake in the same region killed seven people.

"People are very scared. It's been shaking nonstop for the past week," said journalist Andrea Vogt, who was near the epicenter.

"We don't know how many are still trapped," she told CNN. "Telephone lines are overloaded. It's difficult to get through to emergency personnel."

The earthquakes in the last 10 days have been "a real shock" to locals, she said, adding that no one could remember so many quakes in such a short period of time.

"Factories were full. Many of the workers were working on repairs to the already damaged buildings," said Vogt, a freelance journalist based in Bologna.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti was in a meeting discussing last week's earthquake with the head of the civil protection agency and the governor of the region when the new earthquake hit.

read more at: http://wtvr.com/2012/05/29/deadly-earthquake-hits-northern-italy/