Italy quakes take out buildings standing after August jolt

CAMERINO, Italy (AP) — The red brick Amatrice city hall resisted the devastating Aug. 24 quake that collapsed buildings all around it, only to crumble under the one-two punch of lesser jolts Wednesday night.

They also brought down a centuries-old church tower in Camerino that had withstood both a quake in 1997 and the one in August.

The twin aftershocks Wednesday may have exacted a lesser human toll than the August quake that preceded them, with no one killed under rubble and no reports of serious injuries. But they revealed structural weakness in the mountainous quake-prone zone straddling the Marche and Umbria regions, and added more psychological stress to already traumatized inhabitants.

Premier Matteo Renzi visited the picturesque hill-top university town of Camerino today, which is pledging to rebuild under the slogan: "The future doesn't collapse." His government has earmarked 40 million euros [$43.6 million] to help house those displaced by the most recent quakes, and he promised to get to work on reconstruction "soon and in a serious way."

"The earthquake is putting us to the test, but Italy is here and we will not leave citizens alone. We are stronger and we will make it," Renzi said.

The first quake at 7:10 p.m., with a magnitude of 5.4, sent residents into the streets under heavy rain – which authorities said likely saved lives by getting people outside ahead of the second, much more powerful quake.