In November 1980, a severe quake hit an area near Naples, killing 2,570 people.
The powerful aftershock, the latest of more than 500 since the initial quake, hit the area shortly after dawn on Friday, sending up plumes of thick grey dust, shaking buildings that were still standing and fuelling fears of fresh collapses which could hamper the rescue operation.
For example, the latest tweet was from just this morning, when a minor 2.5 magnitude quake hit the area following a larger one a couple days ago.
During his visit, Mr. Douste-Blazy toured the quake-hit area of Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, to witness firsthand the magnitude of the devastation caused by the earthquake.
The quake was the largest in Southern California since a 7.1 magnitude quake hit an unpopulated area of the high desert in 1999.
Just over an hour later, a magnitude 5.6 quake hit the same area, it added.
Airports in the quake-hit areas are now open 24 hours a day to enable the distribution of aid.
"Through baseball, we can make profits and send the proceeds from games to the quake-hit areas," he told Kyodo.
Police and security agencies have increased vigilance against trafficking in quake-hit areas and along the Nepal-India border.
Sendai Bank, which is based in one of the quake-hit areas, said on Monday that it might seek an injection of public funds to bolster its capital, becoming the first lender to signal that it may tap a government scheme to help banks hurt by the quake.
A number of international charities including Red Cross, Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders and Christian Aid are also sending teams to quake-hit areas.
