A small earthquake shook Rome and nearby coastal towns on Monday, briefly sparking panic throughout the region, officials said. The earthquake had a magnitude of 4.5 and the epicentre was under the seabed southwest of Rome near the coastal towns of Anzio and Nettuno, Italy's National Geographic Institute said. The civil protection department of Ardea, a town south of Rome, had initially said the tremor knocked an elderly man off a ladder and killed him, but later concluded he had died before the quake hit. "For the region, it was pretty big and terrified a lot of people," institute president Enzo Boschi said. Residents and workers throughout Rome fled their homes and offices as buildings in the Italian capital shook for around five seconds shortly after 2 p.m. (1200 GMT), but no injuries or damage were initially reported. Holidaymakers in Anzio and Nettuno and along the coast were seized by panic during the quake, which cracked the facades of buildings and sent chunks of plaster crashing to the street. --more 2259 Local Time 1959 GMT
