Earthquake in Italy: when will we learn?
Two people were killed and three buried children were rescued from the rubble after an earthquake hit the Italian holiday island of Ischia. Although the magnitude of the quake was estimated at only 4, many buildings collapsed. Exactly one year after the devastating Amatrice earthquake Italy's press reacts with bitterness to this latest disaster.
No more deadly illegal buildings
The illegal building must be stopped, La Repubblica rails:
“When confronted with the images of the tragedy one remembers the words of Domenico Pompili, the Bishop of Rieti. At the funeral of the victims of the earthquake [that hit Amatrice] on 24 August 2016 he said: 'It is not the earthquake that kills, but the works of people.' Like him we are convinced that the time has come to say enough is enough. Once and for all. No more buildings made by people in which people die. There is only one way to ensure that this doesn't remain just empty talk: the restoration of legality. The 28,000 applications for building amnesties for Ischia alone which [environmental protection organization] Legambiente denounced are proof of the extent to which illegal construction has ruined one of our most beautiful islands.”
21 million Italians in danger
Italy is doing too little to protect its citizens, La Stampa also writes:
“[Environmental protection agency] Legambiente estimates that 91 percent of the ruined buildings in Amatrice still haven't been cleared. Houses that should have been torn down are still standing. Houses that should have been built haven't been built. Former prime minister Matteo Renzi called yesterday for 'Casa Italia', the project for providing 21 million Italians who live in earthquake areas with safe housing, to be speeded up. … It is estimated that this will cost between 40 and 90 billion euros. Twenty-five million have gone into the building sites so far. About as much as a good football centre forward costs.”