Naples and Campi Flegrei shaken by 4.4-magnitude quake
The quake hit the Campi Flegrei area at 12.07pm, with its epicentre located at a depth of three kilometres, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
It was followed by a 3.5-magnitude quake 15 minutes later.
Both quakes were felt distinctly in Naples' city centre, where hundreds of people ran into the streets, according to ANSA.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, though firefighters were still carrying out structural checks across the city.
Naples' metro lines and cable car were suspended as a precautionary measure following the quake.
Several schools and universities in Naples were evacuated, according to Rai News.
"A major seismic swarm is underway," Gigi Manzoni, the mayor of Pozzuoli, west of Naples, wrote on social media.
He said the quake had "inevitably frightened the population" but urged people "to remain calm [and] to remain in open spaces".
A resident of Pozzuoli told Rai News: "I heard a loud noise and then the floor just wouldn't stop shaking."
"Glasses and flower vases fell to the ground. Everyone is out on the street."
Seismic activity is nothing new in the Campi Flegrei.
The area was rocked by a 4.4-magnitude quake on March 13th, with the tremor causing several light injuries and damage to some buildings.
The same area was struck by two 3.9-magnitude quakes in early February.
The region, which is home to around half a million people, is Europe's largest volcanic caldera – a basin-like depression that forms when a volcano collapses into itself, usually following a major eruption.
The volcano's last known eruption occurred in 1538.
Seismic activity across the Campi Flegrei region has increased in recent years due to a phenomenon known as 'bradyseism' – the slow, vertical movement of the Earth's surface due to changes in the volume of magma and hot gases lying underneath.
A marked increase in the frequency and intensity of seismic events has raised fears of an imminent volcanic eruption, but Italian scientists have said that this is unlikely in the near future.
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The quake hit the Campi Flegrei area at 12.07pm, with its epicentre located at a depth of three kilometres, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). It was followed by a 3.5-magnitude quake 15 minutes later. Both quakes were felt distinctly in Naples' city centre, where hundreds of people ran into the streets, according to ANSA. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, though firefighters were still carrying out structural checks across the city. Naples' metro lines and cable car were suspended as a precautionary measure following the quake. Several schools and universities in Naples were evacuated, according to Rai News. "A major seismic swarm is underway," Gigi Manzoni, the mayor of Pozzuoli, west of Naples, wrote on social media. He said the quake had "inevitably frightened the population" but urged people "to remain calm [and] to remain in open spaces". A resident of Pozzuoli told Rai News: "I heard a loud noise and then the floor just wouldn't stop shaking." "Glasses and flower vases fell to the ground. Everyone is out on the street." Seismic activity is nothing new in the Campi Flegrei. The area was rocked by a 4.4-magnitude quake on March 13th, with the tremor causing several light injuries and damage to some buildings. The same area was struck by two 3.9-magnitude quakes in early February. The region, which is home to around half a million people, is Europe's largest volcanic caldera – a basin-like depression that forms when a volcano collapses into itself, usually following a major eruption. The volcano's last known eruption occurred in 1538. Seismic activity across the Campi Flegrei region has increased in recent years due to a phenomenon known as 'bradyseism' – the slow, vertical movement of the Earth's surface due to changes in the volume of magma and hot gases lying underneath. A marked increase in the frequency and intensity of seismic events has raised fears of an imminent volcanic eruption, but Italian scientists have said that this is unlikely in the near future.
