More than 160 earthquakes shook Naples, Italy

International Desk: Homes have been evacuated and schools closed after several earthquakes hit the area around Naples in southern Italy. More than 160 earthquakes were recorded on Monday evening and night local time.

The strongest tremor of magnitude 4.4 was felt near the town of Pozzoli around 8pm local time. Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said it was the strongest earthquake in the region in 40 years.

Naples Mayor Gaetano Manfredi acknowledged that residents may be scared. However, officials are monitoring the situation, he said. Hundreds of tents were pitched in Pozuli after the earthquake. Some residents spent most of the night on the streets.

Some go to relatives in other places. Several families are considering leaving the area due to several low-level earthquakes in the past few months, local media reported. A Naples resident was quoted as saying by a media outlet that they had never felt such a powerful earthquake.

However, no significant damage to infrastructure was reported in the earthquake. Still, some schools in Naples were closed for visits on Tuesday and a women's prison in Pozzoli was evacuated as a precaution.

But Mayor Manfredi warned that "more serious earthquakes may occur" in the future. "I cannot tell people not to be afraid," he said. Because it's normal. But I can tell the people of Nepal that we are paying attention (to the situation) and keeping an eye on it.