In Italy, a series of earthquakes shook the Naples region. In towns around the epicenter, many people refused to return to their homes after the quake. There are no reports of major damage.
The region around the Italian city of Naples has been shaken by the strongest earthquakes in 40 years. There have been no reports of injuries or major damage so far. Emergency services in the area reported cracks in buildings and fallen parts.
Emergency shelters in the town of Pozzuoli
Many people were frightened and ran onto the streets out of concern, according to media reports. Residents reported to the newspaper “Corriere del Mezzogiorno” that some houses were literally shaken, especially near the epicenter. The brief but violent tremor was preceded by weaker tremors.
In the towns around the epicenter, residents remained on the streets late on Monday evening and refused to return to their homes. According to the mayor, emergency shelters have been set up in the town of Pozzuoli. Schools in the city remained closed today out of an abundance of caution.
Institute expects further earthquakes
The earthquake was registered yesterday around 8:10 p.m. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) gave the magnitude 4.4 and located the epicenter in the Phlegraean Fields. According to media reports, the tremor was clearly felt not only in the towns near the Phlegraean Fields, but also in Naples, including the port area.
In the hours that followed, the INGV registered several more weak tremors. At around 9:45 p.m., the experts reported an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.9. According to Mauro Di Vito from INGV, these were the most violent tremors in 40 years. The institute announced that further earthquakes of similar strength could occur.
High volcanic activity in Campania
The Phlegraean Fields, an area of high volcanic activity in the Campania region of southern Italy, have been hit by many small earthquakes for some time. Most of the time it is small and barely noticeable tremors that weaken the earth’s crust in the area.
The area has been under a yellow alert level for eleven years, which calls for caution. However, there have also been stronger tremors in recent months. The last time there was a stronger earthquake of magnitude 4.2 was in September 2023.