Italy's Campi Flegrei shaken by strongest earthquake in 40 years

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Magnitude 4.7 quake near Pozzuoli triggers building collapses, power cuts and more than 30 aftershocks, with 21 people hurt. A powerful earthquake struck the Campi Flegrei volcanic area west of Naples on Friday evening, the strongest tremor recorded there in 40 years, sending residents fleeing into the streets and leaving buildings damaged in Pozzuoli. The quake, measured at magnitude 4.7, struck at 19.46 local time with its epicentre near the Solfatara crater at Pozzuoli, at a depth of around three kilometres, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). It was felt strongly across Naples and its hinterland, as well as on the islands of Procida and Ischia. A second, magnitude 3.8 aftershock followed at 22.00 in the Gulf of Pozzuoli, part of a swarm of more than 30 tremors recorded through the evening, with further shocks measuring up to magnitude 3.1. Civil protection officials said it was the strongest earthquake recorded in the area since continuous instrumental monitoring began, surpassing two tremors of magnitude 4.6 registered in 2025. Casualties and damage The toll of injured rose through the night as hospitals continued to assess patients, climbing from an initial eight or 10 people with minor injuries to a final count of 21, two of whom were seriously hurt and admitted in a critical condition. The majority suffered light injuries, mostly linked to falls or shock while fleeing their homes. In Pozzuoli, two uninhabited buildings collapsed, along with the façade of another block, though no one was reported trapped or hurt in the collapses. Numerous cornices and sections of plaster came down between Pozzuoli and Bagnoli. A high-voltage pylon partially collapsed in the Agnano area of Naples, causing power cuts across parts of the city and Pozzuoli. Cracks appeared in older buildings, furniture was overturned, and falling debris crushed at least one car. Train services on the Naples network, including high-speed lines, were suspended for safety inspections, as were the Cumana and Circumflegrea regional railways. The port of Pozzuoli was closed and ferry services halted. Emergency response Italy's civil protection department activated its crisis unit, chaired by department head Fabio Ciciliano, in coordination with local authorities. Prime minister Giorgia Meloni was reported to be following developments and the crisis unit's response closely. Fire brigade officials said no emergency rescue calls had been received overnight, though checks on the port and reports of small landslides were continuing. Many residents chose to spend the night outdoors or in their cars rather than return to their homes, a now-familiar precaution in the area in recent years. Campi Flegrei Declared a regional park more than 20 years ago, the Campi Flegrei area is a highly seismic zone of supervolcanic calderas, situated to the west of Naples and about 50 kilometres from Mount Vesuvius. The Campi Flegrei volcano last erupted in 1538 however earthquakes have been common in the area since 1950, with a surge of seismic unrest in the early 1980s. Experts believe the recent spike in seismic activity is linked to bradyseism, a phenomenon that involves the gradual uplift or descent of part of the earth's surface, caused by the filling or emptying of underground magma chambers or hydrothermal activity. There are 15 towns in the Campi Felgrei area with a combined population of more than half a million people living in the so-called 'red zone' most at risk. Two years ago the Italian government announced new measures in light of the increased seismic activity in the area, updating emergency plans for a possible mass evacuation.