Earthquake in Italy Kills Four

Rome - An earthquake struck northeastern Italy, rocked the region around Bologna on Sunday morning. This earthquake killed at least four people, tear down a factory and injured employees.

Earthquake of 6.0 on the Ritcher scale occurred at 4:04 centered about 35 kilometers north of Bologna. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), earthquakes have devastating effects because it occurs at relatively shallow depths, 5 kilometers.

A local official, Adriano Gumina, said the quake was the worst since the 1300s. The earthquake caused the bell tower cracked and chunks of the facade of the church was thrown into the street.

Three people are known dead in separate locations, three are employees of the factory that collapsed. In addition, he said, two women died, allegedly suffered a heart attack shortly after the quake rocked the area.

Pope Benedict XVI from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, said he was "spiritually close" to those affected by the earthquake. He asked people to join him in prayer for the victims.

Epicenter located between the towns of Finale Emilia, San Felice sul Panaro, and Sermide, but feels to Tuscany and northern Alto Adige. A woman in Finale Emilia told Sky TV stated his son trapped in his bedroom but was rescued two hours later.

Initial quake was followed about an hour later with a magnitude 5.1 aftershock, the USGS said. In 2009, an earthquake that killed more than 300 people occurred in central L'Aquila, one of the historical centers in Italy.