A series of 49 earthquakes were recorded last night near Naples, in southern Italy, without major material damage, but the ground tremors caused panic among residents, the authorities there said.
According to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, it was the largest series of earthquakes in the last 40 years.
An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 was recorded at 8:10 p.m., at a depth of 2.5 kilometers, the institute announced. A few minutes earlier, an earthquake of magnitude 3.5 preceded it, followed by dozens of aftershocks.
The institute stated that a series of earthquakes started last night at exactly 19:51 in the Phlegrean fields near Naples, which is a volcanic zone in Italy. About half a million people live in that earthquake zone, and for today it was reported that schools will be closed while reception centers are open and tents have been set up in several parking lots.
The Phlegrean fields, whose eruption 40,000 years ago affected the climate of the planet, worries local residents and scientists because of the resurgence of its activity due to the gases emitted by the magma, which affects the cracking of the soil surface.
The scenario of a catastrophe, that is, the eruption of lava, ash and stones, is unlikely, however, in the near future, experts said, Beta writes.
