▁destroyed ▁at ▁least ▁ 1 0 ▁villages ▁on ▁its ▁southern ▁fl ank ▁before ▁reaching ▁the ▁city ▁walls ▁of ▁the ▁town ▁of ▁Cat ania ▁five ▁weeks ▁later , ▁on ▁ 1 5 ▁April . ▁The ▁la va ▁was ▁largely ▁di vert ed ▁by ▁these ▁walls ▁into ▁the ▁sea ▁to ▁the ▁south ▁of ▁the ▁city , ▁filling ▁the ▁har bour ▁of ▁Cat ania . ▁A ▁small ▁portion ▁of ▁la va ▁eventually ▁broke ▁through ▁a ▁frag ile ▁section ▁of ▁the ▁city ▁walls ▁on ▁the ▁western ▁side ▁of ▁Cat ania ▁and ▁destroyed ▁a ▁few ▁buildings ▁before ▁stopping ▁in ▁the ▁rear ▁of ▁the ▁Bened ict ine ▁monaster y , ▁without ▁reaching ▁the ▁centre ▁of ▁the ▁town . ▁Con tr ary ▁to ▁w ides p read ▁reports ▁of ▁up ▁to ▁ 1 5 , 0 0 0 ▁( or ▁even ▁ 2 0 , 0 0 0 ) ▁human ▁fatal ities ▁caused ▁by ▁the ▁la va , ▁contempor aneous ▁accounts ▁written ▁both ▁in ▁Italian ▁and ▁English ▁mention ▁no ▁death s ▁related ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 6 6 9 ▁er u ption ▁( but ▁give ▁very ▁precise ▁figures ▁of ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁buildings ▁destroyed , ▁the ▁area ▁of ▁cultiv ated ▁land ▁lost , ▁and ▁the ▁economic ▁damage ). ▁Therefore , ▁it ▁is ▁uncertain ▁where ▁the ▁enorm ous ▁number ▁of ▁fatal ities ▁can ▁be ▁attributed . ▁One ▁possibility ▁is ▁confusion ▁between ▁this ▁er u ption ▁and ▁an ▁earth qu ake ▁that ▁dev ast ated ▁sout heast ▁Sic ily ▁( including ▁Cat ania ) ▁ 2 4 ▁years ▁later ▁in ▁ 1