The southern Italian city of Naples was struck by a 4.4-magnitude quake early Thursday causing minor damage and sent 11 people to the hospital, the most serious suffering contusions after part of a ceiling collapsed, officials said.
The quake was the strongest in recorded history around the Phlegrean Fields, a sprawling area of ancient volcanoes that covers a broad swath of the Naples metropolitan area.
Residents near Naples, spent the night, some on the streets, others in their cars.
The tremor, which hit at 01:25AM local time, was cantered between Pozzuoli and Bagnoli, shaking buildings and causing rubble to fall.
Italian seismologists reported that the earthquake was felt across the city, disrupting power supplies.
The quake damaged a local church bell tower, smashed car windscreens, and caused minor injuries when a woman was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed house in Bagnoli.
In the seaside district Bagnoli, rescuers worked to free people trapped in their homes, with some residents climbing out windows, according to reports.
Although the region sits on the Campi Flegrei volcanic basin, experts have reassured that there is no immediate threat of a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius.
Local authorities have expressed concern over an increase in ground movement in the area, which has tripled in recent months.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is closely monitoring the situation, while schools in affected areas were closed for stability checks.
Italy’s national institute for geophysics has called for a governmental plan to ensure that structures can withstand a quake of at least a magnitude 5.0.
