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Italy: The L'Aquila debacle

April 30, 2014

Five years ago, an earthquake devastated the city of L’Aquila in central Italy. Reconstruction since then has been lagging and much of the city is still a construction site.

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More than 300 people died in the L’Aquila earthquake, and tens of thousands lost their homes. Meanwhile many of the buildings that then-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi inaugurated with such fanfare are already crumbling. Corruption and fraud is also rampant. A number of local politicians have been arrested and more people are under investigation. The Italian mafia is also said to be involved.