Earthquake hits Italy, 4 people killed

US Geological Survey reported a 6.0 magnitude earthquake rattling small towns in northeast Italy and killed four people Sunday.

The incident caused a clock tower to knock down and millions of losses to the region famous for producing Parmesan cheese.

The quake happened at north of Bologna, Italy at a relatively shallow depth of 5 kilometers with epicenter about 35 kilometers at 4:04 a.m. Sunday.

Agency chief Franco Gabrielli said that the casualties were factory employees on the overnight shift when their buildings, in three separate locations collapsed.

Gabrielli added the two women, one of whom is about 100 years old, died, seemingly caused by heart attacks induced by fear. The two were from a ceramics factory in the town of Sant'Agostino di Ferrara.

A worker also died in the town of Ponte Rodoni di Bondeno, as the factory knocked down, according to emergency workers.

The earthquake was the worst quake to hit the region since the 1300s, according to Civil protection agency official Adriano Gumina. It damaged some 200,000 huge, round cheeses, bringing a loss to manufacturers of €50 million ($65 milion). — ARA