Description
Marsica Avezzano earthquake medal 13th January 1915 in bronze by S.J. (Johnson)
One of the largest Eathquakes in Italian history, 30,000 people were killed.
The epicentre was the city of Avezzano and only one building survived. 96% of the population were killed almost immediately.
The military arrived 48 hours after the tremors and set up a camp trying to help the few survivors. Later, the centre of Avezzano developed from those numerous shacks and tents.
In 1915, Avezzano and the small villages in the Marsica area didn’t have good roads, that’s why it took so long for the Army to arrive. Many isolated villages, such as Pagliara di Castellafiume, were reached reached more than a month after the earthquake. “The 48 hours that followed the Avezzano earthquake of 1915 were a tragedy within a tragedy, which no history book can convey in its entirety, ”
