Rome emptied by earthquake rumours

11/05/11 14:03 CET

world news

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Rome wasn’t built in a day, as the saying goes, but at the moment the worry is it could well be destroyed in one. May 11 is the date on which a self-trained Italian seismologist, Raffaele Bendandi, predicted a huge earthquake would flatten the Italian capital.

Rome’s normally-bustling streets are unusually quiet. Thousands of people appear to have taken the day off and left the city.

Bendandi died in 1979 and the Italian authorities have done all they can to dispel the rumour and calm nerves.

But it is clear there are some who fear the Eternal City might not live up to its name.

More about: Earthquake, Italy, Rome

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