FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

A video posted on social media shows the moment the 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit Italy's central region of Molise. The quake's epicentre was in the eastern-coastal Italian city Montecilfone. The quake was also felt in the closest towns of Rieti and Alto Velino, still recovering from a powerful earthquake in 2016. The shock sparked fears over active volcano Vesuvius in the city of Naples. Francesca Bianco, director of the Vesuvius Observatory, told press agency Ansa she has received floods of phone calls from worried residents.

Italy earthquake: 5.2 magnitude quake hits Italian holiday hotspot

Mount Vesuvius is located on the Gulf of Naples, about 9km east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. Vesuvius is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years. Today, it is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3,000,000 people living nearby, making it the most densely populated volcanic region in the world, as well as its tendency towards violent, explosive eruptions. The shock was felt in Naples and the Vesuvius hinterland as well as in the close cities of Avellino and San Giorgio del Sannio. The Neapolitan Fire Brigade Operations Room was also stormed by calls. At the moment no damage has been reported in Naples.

The earthquake was felt in different areas of the city and on the close island of Procida. Naples residents have tweeted words of support for their neighbouring region as they reported to have also felt the shock. One Twitter user wrote: “Friends from Molise, I really hope you’re all OK and there are no damages as we felt a strong shock in Naples.” Franco Pallotta, Mayor of Montecilfone told Italian daily Corriere della Sera: “We’re in a four stories building, on the ground floor we saw the walls moving and a water pipe broke. “It was very scary, most people took it to the streets.”