EU official: 500 million euros in EU aid for Italy earthquake

ROME. April 15. KAZINFORM. Some half-a-billion euros (665 million dollars) in European Union funds could be made available to help reconstruction efforts in Italy following last week's devastating earthquake, a top EU official said Wednesday, dpa reported; Kazinform refers to Trend News.

European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani said the Italian government had 10 weeks by which it would have to apply for the money. Almost 300 people were killed and around 35,000 left homeless in the earthquake which struck the central Abruzzo region on April 6. The Italian government estimates that some 12 billion euros are needed to reconstruct housing and other buildings in areas badly damaged by the earthquake, including L'Aquila a city of around 72,000 inhabitants; Kazinform cites Trend News. See news-en.trend.az for full version.