A magnitude-4.7 earthquake has struck the area around the Italian city of Naples, with the epicentre located in the Phlegraean Fields, a supervolcano, Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said on Friday.
There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.
According to the news agency ANSA, it was the strongest earthquake in the region since bradyseism activity - the slow rising and sinking of the ground that has been observed in the Phlegraean Fields for some time - began to increase again.
The earthquake was recorded at around 7:46 pm (1746 GMT). The tremor was felt most strongly around the Phlegraean Fields but also in Naples and on the islands of Ischia and Procida. Media reports said many people left their homes in fear and ran into the streets.
The fire service said it received several reports of power outages and people trapped in lifts. The emergency coordination centre was notified of the collapse of a building facade in Pozzuoli, as well as fallen cornices and plaster in other areas. No injuries were reported in connection with these incidents, the fire service said.
The Phlegraean Fields - an area of high volcanic activity - has for some time been affected by numerous small and occasionally stronger earthquakes. They form Europe's largest active supervolcano.
Supervolcanoes are characterized by an exceptionally large magma chamber and enormous destructive force. Unlike ordinary volcanoes, supervolcanoes erupt explosively.