Italy schools, factories closed after quake ‘swarm’ near Naples
Al Jazeera
The area in southern Italy witnessed a ‘seismic swarm’ overnight in which some 150 quakes were recorded.
Authorities evacuated 39 families near the Italian city of Naples and schools were closed after a wave of earthquake tremors sparked panic but no injuries.
One 4.4-magnitude quake was registered shortly after 8:00pm (18:00 GMT) on Monday evening at a depth of 2.5km (1.6 miles), according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
It was part of what the institute called a “seismic swarm” overnight in which some 150 quakes were recorded.
“This is the most powerful seismic swarm in the last 40 years,” said the institute’s Mauro Di Vito.
Some residents of Pozzuoli, a city near Naples, rushed out of their homes into the street following the tremors on Monday night, which the local mayor said on Tuesday lunchtime were still ongoing.
