Naples has been rocked by its strongest earthquake in decades after tremors tore through a volcanic crater.
Panicked residents were seen pouring into the streets of the southern Italian city after the 4.4magnitude quake was registered shortly after 8pm local time (6pm GMT) yesterday. It struck at a depth of 1.6 miles, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Just moments before, another 3.5-magnitude rumble hit. There were dozens of aftershocks recorded.
Though relatively low on the Richter scale, it appears that the quake wrought destruction across the city. Emergency responders spotted cracks and lumps of rock and concrete falling from buildings. Footage uploaded on social media showed a mess on the floor of a supermarket in Pozzuoli after bottles were shaken from the shelves.
The earthquake was of 4.4-magnitude but appears to have caused damage to buildings and streets (Antonio Balasco/LiveMedia/REX/Shutterstock)The rumble hit the Capi Glegrei - or Phlegraean Fields caldera - a mountain between Naples and Pozzuoli in the shadow of the better-known Mount Vesuvius. A whopping 150 earthquakes were registered there between 7.51pm Monday and 12.31am Tuesday.
According to the Mauro Di Vito, who works at the INGV, "this is the most powerful seismic swarm in the last 40 years."
Tsunami warning after huge 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocks Ring of Fire island
Local officials have shuttered schools in Pozzuoli today, with temporary accommodation being established to shelter terrified locals, according to Mayor Luigi Manzoni. The INGV is continuing to monitor the crater and warned that there could be "similar" "seismic events" still to come.
Around 40,000 years ago, the Capi Flegrei experienced a cataclysmic eruoption that changed the planet's climate. It has become a source of concern for residents and scientists due to a recent increase in seismic activity.
"We have to live with fear all the time," a Pozzuoli resident told the public channel Rainews. "How long will the buildings be able to hold out while experiencing all these shocks? That's what we wonder."
Last month, willions of people were on high alert in Japan after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the country. The quake's epicenter was located in the Bungo Channel, which separates the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, and was at a depth of around 15 miles. Footage shared on social media showed buildings shaking from the tremor. Nine people were immediately taken to hospital including a man in his 90s who was thrown out of his bed from the ferocity of the shaking that last for more than 10 seconds.
The earthquake registered an intensity level of 6 on Japan's 1-7 scale in Ehime and Kochi prefectures, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, but no tsunami warnings was issued. “In areas where the jolt was strong, please do not approach any dangerous areas. There is no risk of tsunami caused by this earthquake,” stated the JMA on X.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
