Quake stirs panic, sends 11 to hospital in Naples

The southern Italian city of Naples was struck by a 4.4-magnitude quake early yesterday that caused only minor damage and sent 11 people to the hospital, the most serious suffering contusions after part of a ceiling collapsed, officials said.

The quake was the strongest in recorded history around the Phlegrean Fields, a sprawling area of ancient volcanoes that covers a broad swath of the Naples metropolitan area. It matched the magnitude of another quake in the same area last May that has put the population on alert.

Residents shaken awake by the early-morning quake sought safety in the streets, as they did in May.

The temblor, which loosened stone and cement from some facades, was centered just offshore from Pozzuoli, a seaside suburb bordering Naples.

Authorities said one church, a seven-story residential building and another building were declared off-limits due to damage, and some schools were closed as a precaution. Inspectors were checking buildings for further damage. In all, 11 people sought hospital treatment. One woman was injured after part of a ceiling fell, and several others suffered cuts from glass that broke in the quake, authorities said.

Associated Press, Agence France-Presse