Amatrice: The name of the Italian municipality stands for a devastating earthquake disaster. Thousands of people were left homeless and 299 died. Five years on, there is still a lot to do.
Amatrice – Representatives from politics and society commemorated the victims of the devastating earthquake in central Italy five years ago.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi came to the community of Amatrice on Tuesday for the commemoration, which, along with Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto, was badly devastated by the tremors. In the town in the province of Rieti, Draghi laid a wreath at the memorial for the victims of the quake, followed by a service.
It seems that the reconstruction has finally started, said the Bishop of Rieti, Domenico Pompili, at the church celebration in front of a few hundred people. But it is not enough to rebuild. Rather, one also has to create a relationship between humans and nature.
This is not a celebration, but a reminder of the grief that people have experienced, said Vice Mayor Amatrices, Massimo Bufacchi, on the public broadcaster Rainews 24.
Draghi made no speech. According to media reports, he flew to Amatrice by helicopter. Later he had a special digital meeting of the G7 countries because of the situation in Afghanistan.
On August 24, 2016, a magnitude six earthquake hit Amatrice and numerous communities in the area in the early hours of the morning. Around 300 people lost their lives and thousands became homeless. The damage caused by the disaster is still visible today. The reconstruction is still ongoing. There are thousands of requests for repairs and construction. So far, 411 million euros have flowed into public reconstruction. dpa
