Two major earthquakes hit Italy in early April of 2009. At least 260 fatalities have been confirmed and several hundred more injured or homeless.

The first quake hit at approximately 3:35 a.m. local time on the morning of April 6, 2009. The 6.3-magnitude quake was centered 53 miles east of Rome, in L'Aquila, in the region of Abruzzo.Fox News: U.S. Geological Survey Says Italy Hit With 6.3-Magnitude Earthquake A second major quake hit 19 kilometers northwest of L'Aquila at 2:53 a.m. local time on the morning of April 9, 2009. The second measured 5.2 and had a depth of two kilometers.April 9 Earthquake Information

Itallian seismologists report the earthquake was a 5.8 rather than a 6.3, and say the epicenter was located near the medieval city of L'Aquilla. The city was founded during the 13th century and has a population of 70,000 people, not including the thousands more that are students and tourists. The earthquake was the latest in a series of seismic-related activity affecting the region recently.BBC: Several killed in Italian quake (April 6, 2009)

An estimated 100,000 people abandoned their homes in and around the medieval city of L'Aquila on the morning of April 6, 2009, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake lasting 30 seconds took at least 92 lives and left thousands homeless.VOA: Italian Earthquake Kills 27 (April 6, 2009) According to a city protection official reporting to the BBC, 3,000-10,000 buildings were estimated to have been damaged, including a bell tower, numerous churches and a student dormitory, which one student managed to escape from before the roof collapsed.BBC: Several killed in Italian quake (April 6, 2009)

On April 8, 2009, aftershocks continued to terrify the residents; and death tolls reached 235 with 15 still missing. Two people were pulled alive from the rubble days after the quake: a 98-year-old grandmother, after 30 hours; and a young girl, fully 42 hours after the earthquake.Washington Post: Quake Toll in Italy Rises to at Least 235 (April 8, 2009)

• 2000: San Giuliano, more than 20 killed including children, over 1,200 homelessBBC News: Italy's Earthquake History
• 1997: Several locations, 13 killed, more than 40,000 people homeless, priceless frescoes damagedBBC News: Italy's Earthquake History
• 1980: South of Naples, 2,735 people killed, more than 7,500 injured, more than 1,500 people missingBBC News: Italy's Earthquake History
• 1976: Northeastern Italy, nearly 1,000 killed and 70,000 others homelessBBC News: Italy's Earthquake History
• 1915: Southern Italy, at least 30,000 killed, the town of Avezzano completely destroyedBBC News: Italy's Earthquake History
• 1908: Messina Strait, as many as 200,000 killed from the resulting tsunamiBBC News: Italy's Earthquake History
• 1905: Calabria region, 5,000 people killed, 40,000 homes destroyedBBC News: Italy's Earthquake History
• 1783: Southern tip of Italy, 50,000 killedBBC News: Italy's Earthquake History
• 1693: Southern Italy, over 150,000 killedBBC News: Italy's Earthquake History