Edmonton Italian community feeling effects of earthquake back home

The earthquake subdued the typically loud and boisterous café in Edmonton's Little Italy.

While the usual soccer game played endlessly on the television, the expected roar of conversation at Spinelli's quieted down to a murmur, as news of Wednesday's deadly quake in central Italy made its way across the Atlantic.

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Marsel Lecinej who arrived in Edmonton from Italy only three months ago said you could see it on the faces of his customers. The earthquake and the devastation in its wake left some employees so distraught, they simply didn't show up for their shifts. 

"You can definitely see it in the faces of the people, people just want to know what is happening," said Lecinej.

"Some of them haven't been in Italy for the last 50 years but still they feel it, they feel the damage." 

Early Wednesday morning, scores of Italians awoke to tragedy as a magnitude 6 earthquake tore through central Italy.

In the worst hit towns and villages, buildings toppled and crumbling streets filled with rubble as the area was hit with aftershock after aftershock.

By the time the worst of the tremors began to subside,  241 people had been killed, at least 247 more had been hospitalized.

Residents of the area described the scene as being "like Dante's Inferno."

Some of them haven't been in Italy for the last 50 years but still they feel it, they feel the damage.- Marsel Lecinej 

Tony Martino's hometown is only 100 kilometres away from the worst hit area.

He said that if you spend long enough in Italy you get used to these earthquakes.

"It seems to happen every five years, six years, 10 years," said Martino. "When I was in Italy I remember three times I was hit, three times in 28 years. Then I came to Canada."  

Since that time Martino has created a home in Edmonton, raising a son here. But he says he still feels it when something like that happens. 

The worst that Martino can remember was the Irpinia earthquake that struck in November of 1980. The 6.9 magnitude quake and its 90 aftershocks killed almost 2,500 people and injured 7,700 more.  

Wednesday's earthquake brought back painful memories for Lecinej as well.

He says the first words that came to his mind when news of the disaster broke were "Not again." 

"Four years, at least four earthquakes, every single one was a big hit to Italy," said Lecinej. "Italy is facing big problems, huge problems, and this all just adds up. It's terrible.

"Hearing about this again … you just wonder, when is it going to end."