Southern Italy Shaken by 5.0 Magnitude Earthquake

A 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck southern Italy near Cosenza, Calabria at 9:43 p.m. No serious damage or requests for help have been reported. Initial readings from monitoring agencies varied, but there is a history of strong quakes in the region, including a deadly one in 2016.

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake shook southern Italy on Thursday evening, according to monitoring agencies. The quake was felt over a wide area but did not cause any serious damage, initial reports suggest.

The Italian fire brigade and civil protection agency reported no damage or requests for help so far. The quake's epicenter was near Cosenza, Calabria, occurring at 9:43 p.m. local time (1943 GMT). Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV) recorded the quake at a magnitude of 5.0.

The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) initially measured it at 5.3 but later revised it to 4.6. Southern and central Italy are often affected by earthquakes, with one in 2016 resulting in 300 deaths and extensive damage.

(With inputs from agencies.)