Latest quake sparks fear around Italy's Naples

A 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck the volcanic area around Naples as part of a "major" quake swarm on Tuesday, sparking fear but no immediate news of damage, Report informs via AFP.

The tremor hit the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) area in southern Italy at 12:07 pm (10:07 GMT), at a depth of three kilometres, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

It was preceded by two quakes of 2.1 magnitude, and followed by one of 3.5 magnitude 15 minutes later.

"A major seismic swarm is underway," wrote Gigi Manzoni, the mayor of the city of Pozzuoli near Naples, on social media.

He said it had "inevitably frightened the population" but urged everyone "to remain calm, to remain in open spaces -- this is a time of great anxiety".

He said he had deployed local police to the streets.

The Naples metro and the city's cable car were suspended as a precaution, local media said.

Firefighters said they were carrying out checks on the stability of buildings.

Seismic activity is nothing new in the area, which is Europe's largest active caldera -- the hollow left after a volcanic eruption.

It stretches from the outskirts of Naples into the sea, measuring some 12 by 15 kilometres (7.4 by 9.3 miles).

But many of the 500,000 inhabitants living in the danger zone have been spooked by larger than usual quakes in the past year.

A 4.4 magnitude quake on March 13 caused several light injuries and damage to some buildings, 10 months after another similar tremor in May 2024 -- which was the biggest for 40 years.