17-02-2025
Naples and Campi Flegrei shaken by two 3.9-magnitude quakes
The first quake hit at 3.30pm on Sunday and had its epicentre in the Gulf of Pozzuoli, at a depth of two kilometres, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
It had been preceded by two overnight tremors of lower intensity at 3.53am and 4.30am respectively.
The second 3.9 quake hit at 12.19am on Monday and was located five kilometres east of the town of Pozzuoli, at a depth of around two kilometres, the INGV said.
It was followed by a number of smaller earthquakes commonly known as 'aftershocks'.
Italy's Civil Protection Agency said on social media platform X that there were no immediate reports of damage in the affected area, but checks were ongoing on Monday morning.
Naples city councillor Edoardo Cosenza told Il Corriere della Sera that "no structural damage was reported by Civil Protection technicians" following a series of inspections carried out overnight.
Both quakes were felt distinctly across the entire Campi Flegrei area and in Naples, causing many frightened residents to run out into the streets.
"[The earthquake] was long, almost endless. It felt like it was pushing us horizontally," Lucia, a resident in Naples' Vomero neighbourhood, told La Repubblica after the first quake on Sunday afternoon.
'It was the strongest I've felt so far; [...] we were really scared," said Valeria, who lives in Bacoli, around 15 kilometres west of Naples.
Schools in Pozzuoli, a town of around 76,000 inhabitants located just west of Naples, were set to remain closed on Monday, according to a statement by town hall officials cited by Italian news agency Adnkronos.
"As a precautionary measure, teaching activities in all public and private schools of all levels are suspended [...] until further notice to allow for inspections by municipal technical staff aimed at verifying any potential damage resulting from the various seismic events," the statement said.
The Campi Flegrei is an active volcanic caldera – a large, basin-like depression that forms when a volcano collapses into itself, usually following a major eruption.
The volcano last erupted in 1538.
The region, which is home to around half a million people, has experienced intense seismic activity over the past two years.
It was hit by a 4.2-magnitude quake – the strongest in four decades – in September 2023. This was followed by a 4.0-magnitude quake in early October 2023.
There were no reports of injuries or damage in both cases.
Several 'seismic swarms'– series of small tremors that occur over a short period of time – have shaken the Campi Flegrei in recent months, raising fears of an imminent eruption.
Italian scientists have previously said that an eruption is unlikely in the near future.
Mauro Antonio Di Vito, the head of INGV's Vesuvius Observatory, said in September that 'there are no imminent signs of an eruption'.
That said, 'the continuous accumulation of magma and the increasing pressure underground represent a risk that should not be ignored," he added.
