Aftermath of the Messina earthquake and tsunami. On December 28, 1908, from about 05:20 to 05:21, an earthquake of 7.1 on the moment magnitude scale occurred, centered on the city of Messina, in Sicily. Reggio on the Italian mainland also suffered heavy damage.oments after the earthquake, a 12-meter (39-foot) tsunami struck nearby coasts, causing even more devastation; 91% of structures in Messina were destroyed, and some 70,000 residents were killed.