Falling rocks smash cars after earthquake rocks major Italian city

Eight people were injured and dozens of cars have been crushed under falling boulders after an earthquake rocked southern Italy.

The magnitude 4.7 quake was recorded at a depth of 3km in the Campi Flegrei region, near Naples, at around 7.46pm on Friday night. Aftershocks were felt throughout the night.

It is one of the strongest seismic events in the region’s history.

Large rocks broke off from cliffs in the area and fell into the streets of residential areas. Some landed on and destroyed parked cars.

Emergency services were called to the area, and people could be seen leaving their homes and taking to the streets as dust clouds billowed into the air.

The area was hit by power outages following the earthquake, and transport came to a halt.

Some buildings in and around Naples suffered minor damage, Italy’s fire service said.

The region has experienced more seismic activity in recent years and has frequent small earthquakes.

Earthquakes are relatively common in Italy. In 2016, a series of quakes destroyed parts of Lazio, Umbria and the Marche regions. Around 300 people were killed.

In November 1980, Italy suffered its most deadly earthquake of recent times. A magnitude 6.9 quake struck the Irpinia area of southern Italy, killing around 2,700 people.