ROME — In the early hours of Thursday, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake shook the southern Italian city of Naples, leading to minor damage and causing 11 individuals to seek hospital treatment. The most severe injury was sustained by a person who was hit by parts of a collapsing ceiling, according to officials.
This tremor stands as the strongest recorded in the vicinity of the Phlegrean Fields, an expanse of archaic volcanoes that extend across significant portions of the metropolitan area of Naples. This quake mirrored the intensity of another seismic event that occurred in the same area last May, alerting residents and prompting heightened awareness.
As the morning quake startled residents awake, they rushed outside to safety, mimicking their actions from the incident in May. The earthquake dislodged stone and cement from various building facades and had its epicenter offshore near Pozzuoli, a coastal suburb adjacent to Naples. Mayor Gaetano Manfredi announced that a church, a seven-story residential building, and another building were deemed unsafe due to the quake’s impact, necessitating some school closures as a safety measure.
Building inspections were promptly initiated to assess any additional damage, confirmed Manfredi. “We are vigilantly monitoring all structures and events in real-time,” he stated. Across the region, 11 people approached hospitals for medical care, with one woman injured by a falling ceiling and others suffering cuts from shattered glass.
Seismologists have identified an uptick in seismic activity in the Phlegrean Fields area in recent weeks. In response, authorities conducted emergency preparedness drills during the summer as a rise in seismic events became evident.
The zone encompassing the Phlegrean Fields, which includes western Naples neighborhoods and suburbs, is pronounced for both seismic and volcanic activity. Since 2006, the surface in the area has elevated by 1.3 meters (4.3 feet), surpassing levels prior to the significant activity of 1984, although experts note that predicting an eruption or a more potent earthquake remains uncertain.
Approximately 500,000 residents inhabit the area most jeopardized by potential volcanic activity. Italy’s national institute for geophysics and vulcanology advocates for a strategic plan to ensure structural resilience against earthquakes, particularly those reaching a magnitude of 5.0 or more.
During the intense seismic occurrence in 1984, precautionary measures led to the evacuation of 40,000 residents due to fears of an eruption, which ultimately did not come to pass.
