Magnitude 4.7 quake at Campi Flegrei supervolcano leaves 21 injured, two seriously

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake shook the Phlegraean Fields west of Naples at 19:46 local time on Friday, 31 July, injuring at least 21 people, two of them seriously. The epicentre lay about three kilometres beneath the caldera of a supervolcano, a 13‑km‑wide depression that contains the city of Pozzuoli and is home to some 360,000 residents. Rock face fragments fell onto parked cars, several uninhabited buildings collapsed, and facades of residential blocks and churches were damaged. Power outages were reported in multiple locations. Train and metro services around Naples were suspended to allow infrastructure checks, resuming around 01:30 Saturday. Cracks on approach roads forced the closure of Pozzuoli’s port.

“We are working on solutions for the current situation and on future actions. The goal is to pay a benefit for independent accommodation arrangements and to carry out inspections of buildings, whose list is very long.”

Damage and response

Hardest hit was Pozzuoli, a town of over 80,000 people at the centre of the caldera. Firefighters received dozens of calls about falling debris and people trapped in lifts. The Civil Protection minister Nello Musumeci confirmed damage to homes and churches. Nearly 200 emergency shelter beds were set up in Pozzuoli on Saturday for residents unable to return to unsafe houses, with similar measures taken in neighbouring towns. Civil Protection teams were in the field through the night, following pre‑arranged protocols. Five of the 21 injured remained in hospital as of Saturday morning, two in a serious condition, the prefect of Naples Michele di Bari said.

“Civil Protection is working in the field, we spent almost the entire night in Pozzuoli and we have already implemented previously prepared procedures and action protocols.”

Aftershocks and seismic outlook

More than 30 aftershocks were recorded by the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology between Friday evening and Saturday morning. The shaking was felt on the islands of Procida and Ischia as well as across the Campania region. The institute’s Vesuvius Observatory director, Lucia Pappalardo, cautioned that activity could persist for days.

“The tremors will continue in the coming days. We have already recorded seismic activity, although of lower intensity.”

Caldera anxiety and preparedness

The Phlegraean Fields are an active volcanic caldera with a giant magma reservoir beneath the surface. Seismicity has been increasing in recent years, raising alarm among the population. Regional president Roberto Fico urged calm while inspections of buildings, schools and coastal infrastructure got underway. Authorities are updating mass evacuation plans for the caldera’s estimated 360,000 inhabitants. Local media reported that access to some beaches and ports could be restricted because of damage found along the coastline.