The area around the southern Italian city of Naples with Mount Vesuvius has been shaken by an earthquake. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) gave the magnitude as 3.7 and, as has often been the case in recent months, located the epicenter in the Phlegraean Fields. There were initially no reports of injuries. The fire department reported no major damage.
However, the earthquake and subsequent weaker tremors were clearly felt in several areas of Naples and the surrounding area. Many people were frightened and ran onto the streets out of concern, several media reported.
The Phlegraean Fields, an area of high volcanic activity in the Campania region of southern Italy, have been hit by many small earthquakes for some time. Most of the time, however, it is small and barely noticeable tremors that weaken the earth’s crust in the area. Researchers repeatedly warn about this phenomenon. The area has been under a yellow alert level for eleven years, which calls for caution.
