Thousands flee Rome after 'prophet-predicted' earthquake fears

Thousands of people are reportedly staying out of Rome for the next few days over fears the city will be hit by a huge earthquake.

The quake panic was sparked over rumours that seismologist Raffaele Bendandi - who passed away in 1979 - predicted the city would be devastated by an earthquake on 11 May 2011.

Experts have called for calm through special programmes on state TV, assuring people that quakes cannot be predicted, but many people are said to be leaving the city - just to be on the safe side.

In fact, there are reports of an 18% increase in the number of city employees planning to stay away from work.

According to the BBC, barman Fabio Mengarelli told Reuters: 'I'm going to tell the boss I've got a medical appointment and take the day off.

'If I have to die, I want to die with my wife and kids, and masses of people will do the same as me.'

Sceptics have said they will make the most of the city being quieter for a few days.

The rumours that Rome is facing destruction have been circulating on the streets and online for months - all based on work by Bendandi, who was knighted y Mussolini in 1927.

According to the rumours, before he died he pinpointed 11 May 2011 as the day Rome would be totally destroyed - to be followed by two more catastrophic events in May 2012.

But the president of the Osservatorio Geofisico Comunale, the foundation that honours Bendandi, said they had no record of the prediction and have dismissed it as an urban myth.

'I can say with absolute certainty that in the papers of Raffaele Bendandi there is no provision for an earthquake in Rome on the 11 May 2011,' Paola Lagorio told Abruzzo in March.

'The date is not there, nor is the place.'

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Do you have friends or family in Rome? What do you think of the earthquake rumours?