Twenty years after the tragedy of the 2002 Molise earthquake
The earthquake that struck Molise in 2002 occurred between 31 October and 2 November, with epicentre in the province of Campobasso. It also destroyed a primary school, causing the death of thirty people.
The 2002 earthquake in Molise
By the night between 30 and 31 October, three earthquakes had already been felt in the region, the strongest of which at 3:27 a.m. (magnitude 3.5 on the Richter Scale, intensity IV – V on the Mercalli Scale).
The strongest shock occurred in the morning, at 11:32 a.m., on Thursday 31 October 2002 in the area of Lower Molise, north-east of the province of Campobasso and between the Frentani Mountains and Fortore valley.
The earthquake lasted 60 seconds and was distinctly felt throughout Molise, in Capitanata, in the province of Chieti, up to Marche, in Pescara, Rome, Naples, Bari, Benevento, Matera, Brindisi, Potenza, Salerno and Taranto.
Damage and victims of the 2002 Molise earthquake
The earthquake of 31 December 2002 caused the collapse of the primary school in San Giuliano di Puglia. During the earthquake, the roof slab of part of the Francesco Jovine school building, which included kindergarten, elementary and middle school, collapsed on the part below. At that time, there were eight teachers, two janitors and 58 children at school.
Relief and rescue efforts were at first carried out by local volunteers, and then by the State Forestry Corps and Fire Brigade units, who came from all over the region and from nearby regions. They were joined by Misericordia volunteers, the Italian Red Cross and the military to help the people affected by the earthquake. Funds and mechanical means also arrived to facilitate the search for survivors in the rubble, but rescue operations were hampered by the recurrence of other tremors.
Throughout the day, Fire Brigade units, Civil Protection volunteers and locals continued to dig even with their hands. People were pulled alive from the rubble until evening. The next morning, the Fire Brigade units announced that they no longer heard voices coming from beneath the rubble. The highest toll of human lives was found under the rubble of Francesco Jovine school: 27 children (primary school pupils) and one teacher. The youngest children who lost their lives were born in 1996.
The primary school in San Giuliano di Puglia was the only building to completely collapse. The collapse of the building was determined by human error.
Two other women were victims of fallen debris. In the province of Campobasso, about 100 were injured and 3,000 displaced. There were also numerous displaced people in the province of Foggia, and a dozen municipalities reported significant damage to historical buildings and homes.
Reconstruction works
A new school was built in San Giuliano di Puglia and, throughout Italy, following legislative interventions quickly launched after this tragedy that outraged the whole country, seismic risk maps were redrawn and public buildings designated for interventions to bring them in line with earthquake protection safety regulations were defined.
