A bank robbery in southern Italy escalated into a hostage crisis on Tuesday after armed suspects barricaded themselves inside a Credit Agricole branch with around 30 people trapped inside, including employees and customers.

A major fire has severely damaged the historic Teatro Sannazaro in central Naples, forcing evacuations and leaving several people treated for smoke inhalation.

A radar failure at Naples' largest airport in southern Italy caused the cancellation of dozens of flights and numerous delays, authorities reported on Monday.

Many people in and around the Italian city of Naples have spent the night on the streets and in their cars after an earthquake shook buildings and brought rubble crashing down.

Resident's in parts of Naples and the surrounding province were spooked on Sunday when a 3.9-magnitude earthquake struck in the Campi Flegrei volcanic caldera at a depth of 2km.