On the night between Sunday, 5 April, and Monday, 6 April 2009, at 3:32 a.m. Italian time, an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of Mw 6.3 struck a large area of L’Aquila province and was felt throughout central Italy. The main shock occurred after several months of moderate seismic activity, most of which was perceived by the population. The earthquake caused severe damage, with 309 fatalities, 1600 injured people, and the displacement of over 70,000 residents, as well as the destruction of a large part of the medieval city centre — the social, political, and cultural heart of L’Aquila. In terms of the number of victims, it ranks as the fifth most destructive earthquake in contemporary Italian history, following those in Messina in 1908, Avezzano in 1915, Friuli in 1976, and Irpinia in 1980.