An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 hit near the southern Italian city of Naples early on Thursday, damaging buildings and causing locals to flee into the streets. The earthquake occurred at 1:25 a.m. (0025 GMT) with its epicentre near the coastal town of Pozzuoli,

Power outages were reported in parts of Naples, and many families chose to remain outdoors or in their vehicles overnight, fearing further tremors.

Earthquakes are fairly frequent in Italy. In the region comprising Naples, the most serious in recent times was one of magnitude 6.9 that occurred in November 1980 in the Irpinia area, killing some 2,734 people, injuring more than 8,800, and destroying more than 300 municipalities.