An earthquake rocked the Italian tourist island of Ischia Monday night, killing multiple people and injuring dozens more.
According to Reuters, the 4.0-magnitude quake damaged a church and several other buildings on the volcanic island off the coast of Naples. However, hotels along the island's coast did not appear to sustain significant damage.
The island's hospital director told Reuters that two women were killed and at least 40 people were injured. Rescuers worked to pull some victims from the rubble.
The quake struck shortly before 9 p.m. local time Monday and lasted roughly 30 seconds, according to Dutch tourist Tessa de Monnink.
She told NBC News it was "like something I've never heard before." De Monnink said she was in a restaurant in the village of Sant'Angelo when it began to shake and eventually went dark.
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"In the upper part of the town, it was clear that it was more serious there because all the old houses were built in the 18th century," Naples-based business consultant Stefano Di Iorio told Euronews. "In the old part, conditions are very bad...some houses have been completely destroyed others have lost walls while some buildings have just lost bits of plaster."
"A lot of tourists are leaving with their luggage," Di Iorio added.
As of Tuesday morning, many visitors to the island arrived at various ports looking to cut their trips short.
Ischia is a popular vacation destination for many German tourists. The island's year-round population hovers around 63,000 but rises to more than 200,000 as visitors from mainland Italy and elsewhere arrive during the summer months.
Monday's quake comes nearly one year after a devastating 6.2-magnitude quake rattled central Italy, killing almost 300 people.
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