A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck Emilia-Romagna at 4:03 am. The temblor lasted 30 seconds and damaged a range of structures, including dwellings, older buildings and industrial facilities: of the 7 deaths reported, 4 were working the night shift in warehouses and plants that collapsed. Rescue teams treated 50 injured people and provided shelter to 4,500 residents left homeless. A second earthquake hit this same region on 29th May (ARIA 42566).

Hundreds of industries and farms sustained damage and some 15,000 employees were laid-off: 5,000 in mechanical industry jobs, 4,000 in food processing, 4,000 in the biomedical industry and 2,000 in ceramics production. Immediate and deferred losses totalled several billion euros. Many buildings made of precast concrete components without seismic reinforcement collapsed.