Messinsky earthquake of 1908

Messinsky earthquake occurred on December 29, 1908. Soon the whole world was shocked by the tragic news of terrible events. Two Italian cities Messina and Reggio Calabria in a short time turned into ruins. Tens of thousands of people were buried under the rubble of the collapsed buildings. Because of the natural disaster, even the outlines of the coasts and the relief of the coastal bottom have changed. It is interesting that the most complete description of the disaster was Maxim Gorky, who at that time Time was just in Italy, and the Polish geologist Bogdanovich KI

Fatal morning

The Messinsky earthquake of 1908 suddenly began in the early morning, at 05.30 local time, when city residents still dreamed in their beds. Many of them were not destined to wake up. According to geologists, the magnitude of the tremors was as much as 7.5 points. The first blow lasted only 10 seconds, but this was enough to turn blooming Italian cities into ruins. The defeat was completed by the next two jerks. The Messinsky earthquake also provoked waves of tsunamis that, at an interval of 20 minutes, hit the cities and put the finishing touches on the terrible picture of what the coast was turned into. In height, they reached Three meters. Weak seismic activity continued for several more days until 1909. The earthquake in Italy in 1908 claimed the lives of 80 to 100 thousand people. The exact figure is unknown to this day. In particular, of the 150,000 people of Messina, about 60,000 people remained forever under the rubble of the buildings.

Salvation of survivors

The first on the site of the tragedy were Russian sailors, who were near the island of Sicily in training firing. Learning that the Messianic earthquake had happened, the squad commander ordered the ships to rush to the place of the tragedy. On the way to the destroyed cities were simultaneous preparations for rescue work: rescue teams were formed, reception points were constructed for the victims in the ship infirmaries, Potentially necessary materials like bandages and medicines are prepared. In the morning the ships arrived to the scene of the incident, where active work was begun to clear the rubble, as well as to save the people buried under them. Excavations were a danger for the rescuers themselves, since the Messina earthquake still had an effect, the seismic activity continued, recalling itself by tremors and the threat of new landslides. And several sailors still found their death here. The teams of rescuers changed each other every six hours. Only according to official statistics sailors saved more than two thousand people, clearing the ruins and retrieving bodies of people who were on the verge of death. In the days that followed, the ships of other countries began to approach the shores of the city. Until today, city residents carefully cherish the memory of this feat. In particular, monuments to rescuers are installed in the city, and several streets have characteristic names in honor of Russian sailors.