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ENVIRONMENT

‘Very strong’ earthquake hits western France

A rare 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit large parts of western France on Friday evening, with the seismology bureau BCSF calling it "very strong" amid reports of damage to buildings.

Published: 16 June 2023 22:38 CEST
'Very strong' earthquake hits western France
Environment Minister Christophe Bechu. Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP

Ecology transition minister Christophe Béchu said it was “one of the strongest quakes registered on the mainland”.

AFP records show the last earthquakes of similar strength in France struck in the early 2000s.

The national network for seismic surveillance RENASS recorded the quake at 5.3 while the French Central Seismological Bureau (BCSF) put it at 5.8.

In the Deux-Sèvres department one person was slightly injured and treated on the spot, the prefecture said.

“A series of material damage was reported from the southwest of the department,” with stone falling off buildings and cracks appearing in walls, the prefecture’s statement said.

Further south, in the neighbouring Charente-Maritime department, cracks appeared in buildings and a power line came down leaving 1,100 homes in the dark.

The earthquake was felt as far afield as Rennes in the north and Bordeaux in the southwest.

In the city of Tours, on the Loire river, law student Lea Franke said she was reading on her bed when she felt the tremors.

“I stood up and the whole apartment was shaking … it lasted for several seconds then stopped,” she told AFP.

“I was very frightened, I live on the third floor … I thought the floor was going to cave in.”

Earthquakes of a magnitude above five are rare in France with the last one recorded in the southeastern department of Drome in 2019.

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WINE

Italy to overtake France as world’s largest wine producer

Italy is due to regain its spot as the world's largest wine producer in 2024 as France's vineyards are hit by unfavourable weather, according to figures from each country's agricultural authorities.

Published: 18 September 2024 16:24 CEST
Italy to overtake France as world's largest wine producer

After a disastrous 2023 harvest, Italy’s production will recover eight percent to between 41 million and 42 million hectolitres, the country’s main agricultural association Coldiretti said on Wednesday.

The French agriculture ministry had estimated earlier this month that French production will fall 18 percent to 39.3 million hectolitres.

Coldiretti noted that this year’s output in Italy still remains well under the average of recent years, as different parts of the country cope with either heavy rains or drought.

Since 2007, Italy has been the world’s top producer each year apart from 2011, 2014 and 2023, when it was pipped by France, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).

Coldiretti said Italy is “divided in two” with the north hit by “intense rain and hail in spring and early summer”, while large parts of the south and Sicily have faced drought.

Heat and lack of rain led to particularly early harvests in some parts of the country.

In France, the steepest fall is expected in the eastern Jura mountain range where frosts and mildew are expected to result in a 71 percent drop in output.

In terms of volume, the biggest drop will be in the western Charente region where production will fall 35 percent.

Output is expected to fall by 30 percent in the Loire Valley and by a quarter in the Burgundy-Beaujolais area, which was hit by severe hail.

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