Rome, March 20, (dpa/GNA) – Several Italian islands in the Mediterranean were shaken by earthquakes early on Saturday.
A 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck at 2:46 am (0146 GMT), at a depth of 29 kilometres near the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the northern coast of Sicily, the National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology said. A 4.3-magnitude earthquake struck nearby three minutes later.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude of the stronger quake at 5.2 and its depth at 10 kilometres.
Italian news agency ANSA said, the 4.3-magnitude earthquake was felt in the Sicilian city of Palermo as well as in the Reggio Calabria region on the Italian mainland.
These were followed by several smaller quakes.
The Aeolian Islands are sparsely populated, but are a popular destination for Italian tourists in the summer months. There are currently very few tourists on the islands.
GNA