Panicked Naples residents spent the night on the streets after an earthquake injured several people and caused homes to partially collapse.

The 4.4 magnitude quake, which struck at 1.25am and was followed by several smaller tremors, was the biggest to hit the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) region, in southern Italy, for 10 months.

While the area is known for occasional tremors, Thursday’s strong, shallow quake jolted many from their beds.

Photographs of the aftermath showed damaged buildings and rubble strewn across cars, as worried locals huddled in the streets.

Nearly a dozen people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

One woman was hurt when her ceiling collapsed, while several others suffered cuts caused by shards of broken glass, according to Gaetano Manfredi, the mayor of Naples.