Several lightly injured and minor damage in Italian city of Naples after an earthquake shook buildings and disrupted power supplies.
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At least eleven people were sent to the hospital after a 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck Naples overnight. One woman was injured after part of a ceiling fell.
Italian seismologists said the earthquake struck at a depth of 2 kilometres from Pozzuoli at around 1:25 am CET.
The quake was the strongest recorded around the volcanic area of the Phlegraean Fields. It matched the intensity of another quake that hit the same area last May.
Naples sits just 9 kilometres from Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano, which encompasses the Phlegraean Fields.
In recent weeks, seismologists have reported increased activity in the area. Last summer, local authorities carried out drills in preparation for a potential major emergency.
Damage was reported to buildings in Naples' Bagnoli district, where a ceiling collapsed and several cars were damaged from falling rubble.
The district's Mayor Josi Gerardo Della Ragione wrote on Facebook that it had been a "rough night". "But we won't give up a millimetre," he added.
The tremors also caused damage to the bell tower of a nearby church as residents slept in their cars.
The first tremor was followed by a swarm of six minor tremors with a magnitude of up to 1.2 on the Richter scale.
On Thursday morning, Italy's primary train operator reported delays on several lines due to technical checks as power cuts were reported across Naples.
A rescue coordination centre has been set up to assist people impacted by the quake.
Schools in the Bagnoli district were also closed on Thursday to facilitate building stability checks.
According to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the earthquake was triggered by the accelerating ground uplift in the area.
"Recently, the rate of uplift has tripled, from 1 to 3 cm per month," said Francesca Bianco, director of INGV’s volcanoes department.