Italy’s Campi Flegrei sees continued tremors, evacuations after magnitude 4.7 earthquake

Italian authorities continued emergency response efforts Saturday after a magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck the Campi Flegrei volcanic area near Naples on Friday, injuring 21 people and displacing hundreds of residents, Italian public broadcaster Rainews reported.

“The seismic swarm, as volcanologists tell us, is still ongoing. Therefore, further events with a magnitude greater than 3 could occur,” Civil Protection and Maritime Policies Minister Nello Musumeci said.

He added that eight buildings and five businesses had been declared uninhabitable, with 130 families, around 290 people, evacuated.

“Five people have been hospitalized for trauma and fractures,” Musumeci said.

Firefighters continued technical inspections of buildings in the Campi Flegrei area, deploying additional teams to assess damage and safety risks.

In Pozzuoli, 250 people were displaced after three streets were declared unsafe due to structural risks. Nine buildings had been declared unsafe following inspections, with authorities saying the number of affected residents could increase as checks continue.

Campania Region President Roberto Fico said authorities were coordinating efforts to assess the damage and protect residents.

“All institutional stakeholders are collaborating,” Fico said after a meeting at the Prefecture.

“There's great dialogue and collaboration, and we're moving forward for the protection and safety of our population,” he added.

The tremor was reportedly “the strongest in the last 40 years.”

The seismic swarm continued after the magnitude 4.7 earthquake recorded at 7.46 pm (1746GMT) Friday.

The earthquake was recorded at a depth of 2.6 kilometers (1.7 miles), with the epicenter located in the Phlegraean Fields area.

The tremor was felt across several neighborhoods of Naples, causing power outages from Pizzo Falcone to Fuorigrotta. Firefighters received calls about damaged structures, falling debris and people trapped in elevators.

The Municipality of Pozzuoli activated its Municipal Operations Center to coordinate monitoring and assistance activities for residents following the earthquake.