L'Aquila remembers earthquake victims one year on

Tuesday, 06, Apr 2010 12:04

By Emer Martin.

Thousands of people today gathered in the early hours of the morning for a candlelight vigil in the central Italian town of L'Aquila, one year on from the earthquake that killed hundreds of people.

The commemoration took place in piazza Duomo, the central square in L'Aquila, including a musical requiem paused at 03:32 local time (02:32 BST) - the exact time the quake struck - for a moment of reflection when 308 bells tolled as the names of the dead were read out.

The vigil was attended by Red Cross volunteers and civil protection officials from across Italy who had helped in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, as well as thousands of people from across the region who wished to remember the disaster.

A mass was held at 04:00 local time in memory of the dead.

But there was another controversial memorial last night. Italian newspaper La Repubblica said thousands of survivors who have become known as "the people of the wheelbarrows", a symbol a desire to clear the city of its rubble and bring it back to life, rallied for clearer action to rebuild L'Aquila.

The centre of the historical city still remains off limits as the buildings are deemed to be unsafe and many residents feel disillusion by the government's poor efforts to rebuild the town which, before the earthquake, had a medieval infrastructure.

The mayor of L'Aquila, Massimo Cialente, said: "We need the state to help our region rise again. We need investment."

Speaking to the Italian paper, Sara Vegni, who attended the commemoration service, said: "You cannot go on television and say that everything has been resolved. It's a lie."

Other locals feel that money is being spent to "prop up" falling buildings instead of building new ones, meaning that the once lively city now resembles a ghost town.

However, last night, a council officer in L'Aquilla, Franco Gabrielli invited residents to consider the positive aspects of the reconstruction.

He said: "A lot has been done, even if there is still a lot to do. But we need a untied front, we must not divide ourselves at this difficult time."

It is estimated that more than 65,000 were made homeless by the seismic shocks which hit 5.8 on the Richter scale.

In the aftermath of the quake a number fears rose that the reconstruction works could have been infiltrated by criminal organisations.