Deadly earthquake hits northern Italy

Deadly earthquake hits Italy

At least 15 people are dead and 12 are missing after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in northern Italy on Tuesday that also forced thousands of people from their homes, Italian authorities said.

The earthquake came nine days after a 6.0-magnitude quake in the same region killed seven people.

Italian civil protection authorities said two of the deaths are being attributed to health reasons that were not a direct result of the quake.

Tuesday's quake was followed by dozens of aftershocks. Italy's Institute of Geology said the aftershocks measured 5.3 and 5.1 magnitude. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded one aftershock of 5.6 magnitude just before 1 p.m.

"People are very scared. It's been shaking nonstop for the past week," said journalist Andrea Vogt, who was near the epicenter.

"We don't know how many are still trapped," she told CNN. "Telephone lines are overloaded. It's difficult to get through to emergency personnel."

The earthquakes in the last 10 days have been "a real shock" to locals, she said, adding that no one could remember so many quakes in such a short period of time.

"Factories were full. Many of the workers were working on repairs to the already damaged buildings," said Vogt, a freelance journalist based in Bologna.

A spokeswoman for the prefecture, or government office, in Modena said as many as 12,000 people could be displaced, including those affected by the previous earthquakes.

"Damages are very serious. The old centers of many villages have been closed down to (the) public and many little villages have been completely evacuated," she said.

Authorities are already working to set up more tent camps to house those forced from their homes, she said, and many hotels and campsites have also offered space to those in need.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti was in a meeting discussing last week's earthquake with the head of the civil protection agency and the governor of the region when the new earthquake hit.

"The state will do all what needs to be done, in the quickest way, to assure the return to normal life to such a special and productive region of the country," Monti said in a televised statement.

"Some buildings that were damaged already in last week's earthquake were affected again today. San Felice sul Panaro and Mirandola registered most of the damage," a spokeswoman said.

Eyewitness Violetta Galia said she was afraid to remain in Bologna after the tremors.

"We've been having many quakes, so it's not safe to go back to work. We are having problems with communications, so it's not easy to get in contact with somebody by phone," she told CNN via Skype.

"I don't feel safe -- I need to go away, I don't want to live (in) Bologna. If I don't leave Bologna, I will never feel safe because we are still having quakes every three or five minutes."