Spouses of G-8, G-5 leaders visit L'Aquila quake site in Italy

V S Chandrasekar

L'Aquila (Italy), July 9 (PTI) Prime Minister of India
Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur and spouses of other
world leaders gathered here for the G8-G5 Summit Thursday
visited the city centre of L'Aquila, which was devastated by a
major earthquake that killed about 300 people and left 50,000
homeless.

The dignitaries were taken around to witness the ruins of
the April 6 killer quake. Even on Wednesday, four tremors
between 2.1 and 2.5 on the Richter Scale were recorded in
L'Aquila but there were no reports of any damage.

The leaders' spouses, including US President Barack
Obama's wife Michelle, surveyed the shattered dome of the 18th
century Sant Agostino church in the Piazza del Duomo.
The first ladies were also taken to the city's old centre

to view an exhibition on earthquakes and on the civil
protection department which played a stellar role during the
quakes.

They were also taken to a cultural date in the afternoon
to witness an exhibition on Italy's spheres of excellence and
the history of L'Aquila.

On Wednesday, Kaur and spouses of four other world
leaders were hosted by Pope Benedict XVI, who received them
during his weekly general audience in the Vatican City.

Apart from Kaur, the group that visited the Pope included
Margarita Calderon, wife of Mexican President Felipe Calderon;
Sarah Brown, the wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown;
Filippa Reinfeldt, wife of Swedish Premier Frederik Reinfeldt;
and Nompumelelo Ntuli Zuma, wife of South African President
Jacob Zuma.

Margarida Barroso, wife of European Commission chief
Jose Manuel Barroso, was also present during the meeting.

The 82-year-old Pope was seen exchanging pleasantries
with Kaur. PTI VSC
RAI
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