Earthquake in Italy today - M5.0 off the Aeolian Islands, Sicily (Oct 23, 2026)

Earthquake in Italy today: M5.0 off the Aeolian Islands near Sicily on October 23, 2026

On Friday, October 23, 2026 at 12:19 local time (10:19 UTC, 11:19 in the UK), a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck beneath the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Alicudi. It was felt widely across Sicily and Calabria, and schools in Palermo and Bagheria were evacuated as a precaution.

Marcin FierkaPublished: October 23, 2026

The quake in numbers

Italy’s national institute of geophysics, INGV, puts the local magnitude at ML 5.0 and the depth at about 9 km. The USGS first estimated 5.7. The epicentre was at sea off Alicudi, the westernmost of the Aeolian Islands, roughly 60 km west-northwest of Salina and about 100 km northeast of Palermo.

It was part of a sequence. From 2:10 a.m. on Friday INGV logged several tremors of 3.3 to 3.6, then a 4.3 at 11:51, the 5.0 at 12:19 and an aftershock near 4.0 minutes later.

Where it was felt

People felt a long, rolling motion across much of Sicily, on the Aeolian Islands and in Calabria, from Palermo and Messina to Reggio Calabria, Cosenza and even Agrigento and Catania. In Palermo and Bagheria pupils were led out into school yards and many residents stepped into the streets.

What next

No injuries or damage had been reported by the afternoon. After a sequence like this, further tremors in the area are possible. Follow new quakes in Italy and across Europe on our live map.

FAQ

What time was the Aeolian Islands earthquake in UK and US time?

The main shock hit on Friday, October 23, 2026 at 10:19 UTC: 11:19 in London, 12:19 in Italy and 6:19 a.m. in New York (EDT). A magnitude 4.3 tremor came first at 11:51 Italian time, and an aftershock of about 4.0 followed minutes after the main quake.

Was there damage from the earthquake in Sicily?

By Friday afternoon there were no reports of casualties or serious damage. Schools and some public buildings in Palermo, Bagheria and towns nearest the epicentre were evacuated while engineers checked them. Firefighters and civil protection were surveying the area. No tsunami alert was issued.

Why are there earthquakes near the Aeolian Islands?

Beneath the southern Tyrrhenian Sea the African plate sinks under the Eurasian plate. That is what feeds Etna, Stromboli and Vulcano and makes quakes common here. Since Tuesday, October 20, INGV had already recorded a string of smaller tremors of magnitude 3.3 to 3.8 in the same area.