That doesn't mean that in one of Italy's most seismic areas there won't be a strong earthquake.

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The company also confronted supply-chain disruptions after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and a persistently strong yen that undercut profit.

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Alessandro Amato of the INGV said the latest tremor "came out of nowhere", and described it as a classic earthquake for the area - "medium-strong" and "fairly shallow".

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Chile endured two more strong aftershocks Friday -- the first a 6.0-magnitude earthquake and the other 6.6.

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More than 1, 500 people were killed again in 1997 when an earthquake struck the Ghaen region, while in Golbaf, a strong quake which had caused 1, 500 deaths in 1981 caused just five in 1991.

BBC: NEWS | Middle East | Starting from scratch in Bam