Two earthquakes were recorded in Sicily a few minutes apart in the Messina area and in the Palermo area. The first shock, recorded by the INGV, with a magnitude between 4.8 and 5.3 at 2.46 am in the province of Messina, while the second, between 4.1 and 4.6, at 2.49 am in the Palermo area.
Information from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) on the two earthquakes clearly felt in Messina and Palermo a few minutes apart indicate that the epicenter in both cases is the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea in front of Messina. The 2.46am quake of magnitude 4.6 occurred at a depth of 29 km. The one at 2.49am, of magnitude 4.3, occurred in the area of the Aeolian Islands (Messina) at a depth of 11 km.
After the strong earthquake shocks with the epicenter in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea between Messina and Palermo, of magnitude 4.6 and 4.3, the seismic swarm continues: a 3.0 shock was felt in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea at 2.53 am at a depth of 11 km. Another five on the Aeolian Islands between 2.55 and 3.14 of magnitude 2.7 (depth 17 km), 2.9 (27 km), 2.2, 2.1 and 2.1 (10 km).
The seismic swarm continued further, always with the epicenter of the Aeolian Islands. From 3.25am to 4.02am there were four more tremors with magnitudes between 2 and 2.8. Apart from the great fear of the earthquake that woke up the inhabitants of the northern coast of Sicily between Palermo and Messina, there was no damage to property or people.
