G8 facilities earthquake-proof, Italy assures
ROME, June 23 (Reuters) - Italy gave assurances on Tuesday its G8 summit facilities in L'Aquila could withstand almost any earthquake that might again strike the devastated city hosting the July 8-10 gathering of world leaders.
The comments by Guido Bertolaso, head of the Italian agency planning the event, came after strong tremors shook the central medieval city of L'Aquila late on Monday and overnight, frightening survivors of April's major quake.
"There would have to be an earthquake much bigger than the one on April 6 and bigger than in living memory in L'Aquila," said Bertolaso, head of Italy's civil protection agency.
Monday night's tremor of 4.5 magnitude shook buildings and sent scared locals running from the tent villages that shelter thousands of people still homeless from the quake. Successive tremors overnight reached magnitudes of 3.8 and 3.1.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi decided to move the summit to L'Aquila from the sun-swept island of Sardinia after the earthquake, hoping to draw attention to the region's plight and funnel additional reconstruction resources there.
April's quake killed nearly 300 people and left more than 60,000 homeless.
(Reporting by Roberto Landucci; Writing by Phil Stewart)
