Earthquake in Tuscany, magnitude 4.3 near Pisa – no injuries

Eugenio Giani, President of the Tuscany Region, announced via social media that his office had received no reports of injuries. Giani spoke of an ongoing assessment of the situation and announced that, as a precaution, some people had been brought out of apartments and public buildings. The authorities were in close contact with the municipalities and civil protection services.

Precautionary evacuations and inspections

In the city of Pisa, according to local media reports, individual buildings were evacuated as a precaution, including schools and administrative offices. School operations were suspended in several municipalities until the structures could be inspected for possible damage. In Florence and Lucca as well, technicians inspected public facilities; according to initial reports, no major damage was found.

Italy's civil protection service activated the standard protocols for earthquakes of this magnitude. Fire brigades and civil protection services checked bridges, roads and historic buildings in the region. Special attention was paid to heritage-protected buildings, as Italy is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in Europe.

Italy as an earthquake country

Italy is regularly struck by tectonic earthquakes because several tectonic plates – including the African and the Eurasian plates – meet in the Mediterranean region. Severe earthquakes in the past, such as in L'Aquila in 2009 or in Amatrice in 2016, caused partly devastating damage. The current quake, with a magnitude of 4.3, was significantly below those levels, but nevertheless stirred memories of earlier events.

Citizens reported on social networks about lamps swaying noticeably, pictures coming off walls, and brief power fluctuations. Police urged residents to report any worrying damage to buildings and to stay away from structures that might be at risk of collapse.

Situation in the afternoon

By the afternoon, there were no reports from the affected provinces of serious damage or injuries. The authorities continued the inspections in coordination with the INGV and announced that monitoring would be maintained overnight as well. The final assessment was to be published after the completion of the technical inspections.

Travellers in the Pisa and Florence area were asked to follow the instructions of railway staff and airport personnel. Pisa's Galileo Galilei International Airport initially reported no disruptions to flight operations, but kept the situation under review.

Experts stressed that aftershocks could continue to occur in the coming days. The public was urged to remain calm and to call the emergency number in case of emergency. Giani thanked the emergency services for their rapid response and praised the composure of the population.