A Romanian citizen was found dead on Monday morning, October 31, in the car in which he spent the night after the 6.6-magnitude earthquake that hit central Italy the day before.

The Romanian, aged 65, was found dead in Accumoli, a comune in the Province of Rieti in the Italian region Lazio, which was also affected by the Sunday quake. The Romanian citizen, as well as many other people from the affected areas, decided to sleep in their cars after the earthquake.

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) confirmed the death of a Romanian citizen in Italy, and said that the cause of death is to be established in the coming period.

“The Romanian Embassy in Rome is in contact with the family of Romanian citizen, and is ready to assist in the repatriation,” reads the statement from MAE.

According to information from the Ministry, no Romanian citizens were reported as being hospitalised following the Sunday quake. However, four Romanians requested support for repatriation.

The earthquake that rocked central Italy on Sunday morning is believed to be the strongest quake the country has seen in decades. In late August this year, Italy was hit by another strong quake that killed some 300 people, including 11 Romanians.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com