ROME—A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck in the southern Italian city of Naples early Thursday, damaging buildings and forcing residents to escape onto the streets.
The earthquake happened around 1:25 a.m. According to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the epicenter was near the seaside town of Pozzuoli, west of Naples, around 0025 GMT.
The temblor, which had the same magnitude as one that happened in May, was the strongest since the early 1980s, when a series of seismic occurrences caused devastation and fear in the same region.
Although mild earthquakes are common in the highly populated region near the Campi Flegrei super volcano, residents verified that this was one of the most intense in recent years.
“I was sleeping, and suddenly I heard a terrible bang, I had never heard one so loud,” said Raffaele Cipollano.
“It was a very bad moment. Then of course when I got up I turned on the lights and saw that my house is full of cracks, there are cracks everywhere,” he added.
Emergency teams rescued one person from the rubble of a partially collapsed house, authorities confirmed. Several minor aftershocks were felt in the region, intensifying concerns among residents.
Some people forced open a gate at a former NATO base in Bagnoli in order to seek refuge.
Power outages were recorded in sections of Naples, and many families preferred to stay outside or in their vehicles overnight, fearing more earthquakes.
Earthquakes are fairly common in Italy.
The most devastating recent earthquake in the Naples region was a magnitude 6.9 in November 1980 in the Irpinia area, killing around 2,734 people, wounding more than 8,800, and damaging over 300 communities.
