A magnitude-5.0 tremor was the strongest in the sequence. Authorities ordered precautionary checks and evacuations, but no injuries or damage have been confirmed.
British tourists in Sicily have been caught up in an urgent tsunami alert after a series of earthquakes struck off the Italian coast, according to reports. The strongest, a magnitude-5.0 tremor, hit at around 12.20pm on Friday. Italian officials said the regions of Messina and Palermo were the worst affected. Some buildings were evacuated as a precaution. No tsunami wave has been confirmed.
The earthquakes
The source says 12 earthquakes were recorded and that all 11 others measured above 4.0. Italian seismic records contradict that. The research notes show several of the tremors measured between 3.3 and 3.9. I could not confirm the total of 12 from the data available.
According to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), as reported by Quadro Chiaro, the 5.0 quake struck at 12:19:15pm. It was about 9km beneath the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, north-west of the Aeolian Islands. The epicentre was more than 20km from any Italian municipality, and Bagheria, near Palermo, was about 98km away. It was felt across the Strait of Messina in Calabria, and reports also came from Catania and Agrigento. A magnitude-4.0 tremor followed at 12:24:58pm, according to Italy’s Civil Protection network.
The sequence did not begin on Friday. The notes list earlier tremors of magnitude 3.8 on 20 October, 3.6 on 21 October and 3.7 on 22 October. On Friday they include a 3.4 at 2:10am, a 3.9 at 10:02am and a 4.3 at 11:51am.
The tsunami alert
Local publication 95047 reported that Italy’s national tsunami warning system, SiAM, issued an orange-level advisory for exposed coastal areas of northern Sicily. I could not find the event-specific official bulletin, so this is unconfirmed. The notes also point out that INGV’s general guidance describes higher magnitude thresholds for alerts, which does not disprove the report but should be checked.
An orange advisory does not mean a tsunami has happened. Italy’s civil protection system defines it as a possible wave below 0.5 metres, or a maximum inland run-up below one metre. Even a small wave can be dangerous near harbours and low-lying coasts.
According to 95047, Sicily’s Civil Protection chief, Salvo Cocina, ordered immediate emergency readiness. Municipalities were told to prepare operations, carry out structural checks and support people in potentially affected areas. Regional officials were also reported to have contacted Sicily’s president, Renato Schifani, and the prefects of Palermo and Messina to prepare coordination centres.
Evacuations and checks
The Irish Sun reported that schools in Palermo and parts of Messina were evacuated as a precaution and that inspections were under way. A courthouse in Trapani was also reportedly cleared. There is no verified figure for the number of people evacuated. Inspections reportedly extended to Bagheria, Carini, Cefalù, Corleone, Patti, Saponara and Filicudi, with volunteers mobilised.
The news agency AGI reported no immediate sign of injuries or property damage, despite the tremors being felt in Palermo and Messina. In Agrigento province, residents reported chandeliers and household objects shaking.
Italy’s National Accelerometric Network recorded the strongest ground motion at Lipari, at 19.75 cm/s², followed by Naso, at 16.12 cm/s². Those figures measure shaking, not damage, and are subject to revision.
What is not yet known
As of the available reporting, there was no official confirmation of a tsunami wave, casualties, airport closures, ferry suspensions or significant structural damage. The source does not give the Foreign Office’s advice for British travellers, or any statement from the Italian authorities on tourists.
