Earthquake hits volcanic crater near Naples: Strongest tremor to hit region in decades sparks panic, with buildings damaged
- The Campi Flegrei experienced 150 tremors on Monday night and Tuesday
The strongest earthquakes in decades were recorded at a volcanic caldera near the southern Italian city of Naples on Monday evening, sending panicked residents onto the streets.
According to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), a magnitude 4.4 earthquake was recorded at a depth of 2.6 miles shortly after 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).
Moments earlier, it was preceded by a magnitude 3.5 earthquake and followed by dozens of aftershocks.
Emergency services in the area reported cracks and pieces falling from buildings, while amateur video from a supermarket in the town of Pozzuoli showed bottles strewn across the floor after being shaken from shelves.
The Campi Flegrei – or Phlegraean Fields, as the caldera is known – experienced around 150 earthquakes between 7.51pm on Monday and 12.31am on Tuesday, the INGV said in a report.
According to Mauro Di Vito of the institute, ‘this is the most powerful seismic shower of the past forty years’.
Campania’s civil protection has set up a towing structure at the port of Pozzuoli for people who do not have confidence in returning to their homes after the earthquakes, near Naples, southern Italy, May 20, 2024
Concerned citizens gather in a safe area along the coast between Naples and Pozzuoli after an earthquake in the evening
Concerned citizens gather in a safe area along the coast between Naples and Pozzuoli after an earthquake in the evening
Southern Italy’s Campi Flegrei volcano has become weaker and more prone to rupturing, making an eruption more likely, experts say
Emergency services in the area reported cracks and pieces falling from buildings, while amateur video from a supermarket in the town of Pozzuoli showed bottles strewn across the floor after being shaken from shelves.
Schools in the city will remain closed on Tuesday and temporary accommodation has been set up to accommodate frightened residents, Mayor Luigi Manzoni announced on Facebook.
The INGV said it would continue to monitor the caldera and that “it cannot be excluded that other seismic events will occur, also with a similar energy.”
The Campi Flegrei is located between Pozzuoli and Naples, in the shadow of the much better known Mount Vesuvius, further east.
The Campi Flegrei experienced an eruption 40,000 years ago that affected the planet’s climate, and recently it has been a concern for residents and scientists thanks to a revival of activity due to gases emitted by the magma.
“We have to live in constant fear,” a resident of Pozzuoli told public broadcaster Rainews. “How long will the buildings last while they’re taking all these shocks? That’s what we wonder.’
However, specialists say a full eruption remains unlikely in the near future.