NAPLES has been hit by its biggest earthquake in four decades with people left fleeing for cover after being “awoken by a huge roar”.
Shocking images show how cars were left destroyed by falling debris after a devastating 4.4 magnitude tremor rocked the city overnight, according to Italian seismologists.
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Power supplys in parts of Naples was also severally disrupted just after 1am local time on Thursday.
One person was left injured in the neighbouring town of Pozzuoli, which was sat close to the quake’s epicentre.
They had to be pulled from the rubble of a collapsed house by rushing emergency services.
In nearby Bagnoli, rescuers were also deployed to free people who were trapped in their homes.
Residents were forced to climb out of their windows to escape to the rubble-filled streets below, according to news agency ANSA.
The largest of a series of tremors was followed by a “huge roar”, according to local media.
The powerful quake lasted around 20 seconds and sent much of the sleeping city and huge parts of the nearby region running to safety.
Several areas of the Campania region were also affected, Italian media reported.
Its epicentre was recorded at a depth of two kilometers beneath Pozzuoli, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
At least two more weaker aftershocks were also reported in Naples.
In May of last year, another 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck a similar area in Italy.
Its epicentre was recorded in the Phlegraean Fields area which is home to a huge volcanic caldera.
In October 2023, a horror earthquake struck Naples’ volcanic region of Campi Flegrei.
The 4.0-magnitude quake caused panic among locals who fled to the streets with the epicentre located at a depth of around two miles between Naples and Pozzuoli, according to INGV.
Just a week earlier, a 4.2-magnitude quake was also recorded in the region.
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