An earthquake strikes the Italian regions of Umbria and the Marche, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi to collapse.
The 1997 Umbria and Marche earthquake occurred in the regions of Umbria and Marche, central Italy on the morning of September 26. It was preceded by a foreshock almost as strong as the main quake. The foreshock occurred at 02:33 CEST (00:33 UTC), rated Mw5.7, and the second – the main shock – occurred at 11:40 CEST (09:40 UTC), rated Mw 6.0. Their epicentre was in Annifo. The mainshock was assigned X (Extreme) and foreshock VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale.There were several thousands of foreshocks and aftershocks from May 1997 to April 1998, more than thirty of which had a magnitude more than 3.5. Eleven people are known to have died following the shocks.