Italy on Monday was marking the 40th
anniversary of the devastating earthquake in the southern area
of Irpinia that claimed close to 3,000 lives in the regions of
Campania and Basilicata.
The 6.9-magnitude quake also inured around 8,000 people and made
around 300,000 homeless.
The anniversary brings back bitterness about the slowness of the
response to the emergency, something then-President Sandro
Pertini complained about, and delays in the subsequent
reconstruction, which was never fully completed.
Current President Sergio Mattarella on Monday described it as
the worst catastrophe in the history of the Italian Republic.
Pope Francis also recalled the disaster on Monday's anniversary.
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