A strong earthquake has hit Naples, bringing trains to a standstill and rocking its historic centre.
A magnitude four quake struck along the coast in Bagnoli, a western part of the city, at a depth of 2.5km, local media reported.
Residents in the southern Italian city told La Repubblica newspaper they heard a roar followed by a strong tremor as the ground began to shake.
One resident explained “we rocked a lot.. I’m still shaking,” while neighbours in the Vomero neighbourhood of the city said they also strongly felt the quake.
At least 12 tremors have been detected since 8.51am local time nearby in the volcanic region of Campi Flegrei.
Sensors at the Vesuvius Observatory had already recorded small earthquakes overnight but none were stronger than magnitude 1.
Trains were brought to a halt in parts of Naples while engineers checked if any tracks had been damaged following the earthquake, some some services being delayed by up to 90 minutes.
Scientists have warned that there will be more quakes in the area due a process called bradyseism, a geographical phenomenon that means the ground is being uplifted..
"We're observing an intensification of bradyseism which is driving these earthquakes," Francesca Bianco, director of the INGV's Volcanoes Department told La Repubblica.
“For 20 years, the uplift of the ground at Campi Flegrei has been subjecting the soil to continuous deformation.
“The Earth's crust is accumulating significant stress and periodically releasing it in the form of earthquakes.
“Until the bradyseism ceases, we must expect tremors and seismic swarms."
