An earthquake measuring 4 on the Richter scale shook the earth this evening in the Crotone area. The earthquake was recorded by the National Institute of Volcanology at 7.35 pm with its epicenter in Cirò at a depth of 23.2 km. The shock was distinctly felt throughout the province of Crotone, from Strongoli to Cariati but also in various centers in the hinterland and even on the other side of the Ionian Sea, in Puglia: reports also arrived from the coast of Basilicata. The provincial civil protection has already started the procedures to check for possible damage to people or things. The first testimonies describe the usual earthquake scenes, chandeliers swaying, tables and chairs moving. In Cirò, especially in the upper areas of the town, numerous people have left their homes. Local police officers, administrators and Municipality technicians carried out checks throughout the town. Deputy Mayor Fortunato Strumbo explained that there was no damage to people or things. The Civil Protection also carried out checks throughout the area affected by the earthquake and no damage or injuries were found. However, the staff and technicians of the civil protection department remain on alert.
A few minutes later, at approximately 7.38pm, another earthquake of magnitude 2.5 was detected off the coast, 5 kilometers from Cirò Marina with a hypocenter at 31 km depth.
The 4.0 magnitude earthquake reached the culmination of a seismic swarm that began at 6.42 this morning and which recorded six other tremors in the late afternoon, with epicenters in Melissa and Strongoli, before the strongest one. In particular, a magnitude 2.2 shock had already been recorded by the INGV seismographs around 10.30 am, 5 kilometers from Umbriatico and 8 from Cirò, at a depth of 25 km.
