The Italian city destroyed by the 1908 earthquake and tsunami was Messina. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southern Italy on 28 December 1908, with its epicenter in the Strait of Messina between Sicily and mainland Calabria. Messina, on Sicily, was almost completely levelled.
The earthquake lasted about 37 seconds and caused devastating structural damage. Around 91 percent of Messina’s buildings were destroyed or irreparably damaged, and roughly 75,000 people died in the city and its suburbs. Reggio Calabria, across the strait, was also almost destroyed, with approximately 25,000 deaths.
About ten minutes after the earthquake, the sea withdrew and a tsunami struck both sides of the Strait of Messina. Waves reached heights of up to 12 meters, sweeping through the harbor, destroying coastal buildings, and killing people who had fled toward the waterfront for safety. Some research suggests that an earthquake-triggered submarine landslide generated the tsunami.
Palermo, Rome, and Naples were major Italian cities, but none was the principal city devastated by this event. The disaster is therefore commonly known as the 1908 Messina earthquake and tsunami.