A “major seismic swarm” of earthquakes has hit Italy’s Naples region, causing panicked residents to flee into the streets for the third time in a year.
A 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck the volcanic area of Campi Flegrei around Naples in southern Italy at 12.07 pm, at a depth of three kilometres, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. It was preceded by two earthquakes of a 2.1 magnitude and followed by a 3.5 quake 15 minutes later.
The tremors were felt in Naples and neighbouring Pozzuoli. The mayor of Pozzuoli, Gigi Manzoni, described the succession of earthquakes as a “major seismic swarm”, adding: “I immediately ordered all local police patrols to take to the streets.
“[These are] strong earthquakes that inevitably scared the population. I invite everyone to calm down, to stay in open places, these are moments of great learning.”
An elderly woman living in the Campi Flegrei area described hearing “a very loud bang” as the earthquakes started.
Rita, 83, told Italian outlet Rai: “I heard a loud bang and then the floor wouldn't stop moving. First, there was a milder shock, then a very strong one. Glasses and flower holders fell.”
Schools were evacuated as a precaution, with Mr Manzoni announcing that he had ordered local authorities to inspect the schools for any damage. “I demanded maximum accuracy and timeliness,” he said. “The safety of our kids comes first.”
The Naples metro and the city's cable car were also temporarily suspended. There have been no reports of injuries.
It was the third time in a year that the area had been hit by a 4.4 magnitude earthquake.
In March, an earthquake lasting around 20 seconds shook the area in the early hours, injuring multiple people.
Firefighters worked through the night to rescue panicked residents, pulling an injured woman from the rubble of her home after the ceiling collapsed in Pozzuoli.
Elsewhere in the neighbouring Bagnoli district, rescuers freed trapped residents, while others climbed out of their windows, news agency ANSA reported.
Last May, another quake hit the city of the same magnitude. It was the strongest earthquake in the area in four decades.
The area is Europe’s largest active caldera. The hollow was created after the volcanic eruption of Campi Flegrei roughly 40,000 years ago, which was the most powerful in the Mediterranean to date.
It stretches from the outskirts of Naples into the sea, measuring some 7.4 by 9.3 miles. The area is populated by 500,000 people.
There was a mass evacuation of Pozzuoli in the early 1980s following a resurgence of seismic activity.
Specialists, nonetheless, maintain that a full-blown eruption in the near future remains unlikely.
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