In the early hours of Thursday morning, the southern Italian city of Naples experienced a 4.4-magnitude earthquake resulting in minor damage and sending 11 residents to the hospital, with the most serious injury occurring when a portion of a ceiling collapsed. The quake, notable for being the strongest recorded in the region around the Phlegrean Fields—an expansive area of ancient volcanoes encompassing much of the Naples metro area—matched the intensity of a similar tremor from last May, prompting heightened alertness among locals.
When the quake hit, it startled residents out of their sleep, prompting those affected to seek refuge in the streets, as they did during the previous quake in May. The earthquake dislodged stone and cement from several building facades and its epicenter was just offshore of Pozzuoli, a coastal suburb adjacent to Naples. According to Mayor Gaetano Manfredi, three buildings—including a church, a seven-story residential building, and another structure—were declared off-limits due to damage, and some schools closed as a precautionary measure.
Manfredi assured the public that inspectors were diligently checking buildings for further damage. “We are closely monitoring all our structures and keeping track of all ongoing events in real time,” he stated. Eleven individuals received hospital treatment, with one significant injury from a collapsing ceiling and others suffering cuts from shattered glass.
Seismologists have observed an increase in tremor activity around the Phlegrean Fields over recent weeks. This prompted authorities to conduct emergency drills over the summer in anticipation of a significant event as seismic activities intensified. This area, which spans the western sections of Naples and its suburbs, remains both seismically and volcanically active. Since 2006, the ground level has risen by 1.3 meters (4.3 feet)—a height greater than that before the last significant event in 1984—though seismologists caution that predicting an eruption or larger quake is not possible.
Approximately half a million people reside in the zone most vulnerable to potential volcanic eruption. Italy’s national institute for geophysics and volcanology has urged for a government action plan to ensure buildings can withstand earthquakes of at least magnitude 5.0. During the seismic event in 1984, 40,000 residents were evacuated as a preventive measure against a feared eruption, which fortunately did not occur.
