The 1997 Umbria and Marche earthquake occurred in the regions of Umbria and Marche, central Italy on the morning of September 26. It was preceded by a foreshock almost as strong as the main quake. The foreshock occurred at 2:33 am CEST (0:33 UTC), rated 5.7 on the Richter scale, and the second – the main shock – occurred at 11:40 am CEST (9:40 UTC), rated 6.1 on the Richter scale.