1908 Messina earthquake

The Messina earthquake struck southern Italy in the early morning, with its epicentre in the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Calabria, and was followed within minutes by a tsunami that hit the coasts on both sides. Messina and Reggio Calabria were almost completely destroyed, and tens of thousands of people died, with estimates varying widely, in one of the deadliest earthquakes in European history. Rescue was slow because roads, telegraphs and railways were cut, and sailors of the Russian navy, then at Sicily, were among the first to help. The cities were rebuilt, and Italy adopted the first earthquake building rules, which required lower buildings with reinforced structures.

Open on the timeline