Strongest quake in 40 years rocks Italy’s volcanic region, injures dozens (VIDEOS)

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck the Campi Flegrei volcanic region near Naples in southern Italy on Friday evening, injuring at least 26 people, two of them critically, and damaging dozens of buildings.

The earthquake hit at 7:46pm local time at a shallow depth of about 3km, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Its epicenter was between the towns of Pozzuoli and Quarto. Civil protection officials said that it was the strongest quake recorded in the area since continuous instrumental monitoring began, surpassing two magnitude 4.6 tremors registered in 2025.

The quake was felt across Naples, Ischia, Procida, and much of the Gulf of Naples. Seismographs have since recorded more than 60 aftershocks, the strongest measuring magnitude 3.8 late on Friday and another of 3.1 early on Saturday. Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci warned that the seismic swarm is continuing and that further earthquakes above magnitude 3 remain possible.

The worst damage was reported in Pozzuoli, where falling masonry, collapsing facades, and landslides damaged homes, businesses, and parked vehicles, according to multiple videos posted online.

Dust blanketed roads and cars, while several unoccupied buildings collapsed.

Cracks also appeared at the town’s commercial port, forcing its closure and suspending ferry and hydrofoil services to the nearby islands of Ischia and Procida.

Power outages affected around 100,000 customers after a high-voltage pylon collapsed in Naples’ Agnano district.

Train, metro, and high-speed rail services across the region were temporarily suspended before gradually resuming.

Authorities in Pozzuoli initially evacuated around 250 people after the quake. As inspections continued, at least nine buildings were declared unsafe and around 290 residents, were ordered from their homes, with the number expected to rise as building checks continue.

Local media reported that many residents chose to spend the night outdoors or in their cars rather than return to their homes.

Three streets have also been sealed off because of the risk of further collapses, including from a damaged church bell tower.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told the media that she was closely monitoring the situation as Italy’s Civil Protection Department coordinated the emergency response with local authorities.

Firefighters continued rescue operations and structural inspections across the affected area on Saturday.

Campi Flegrei, or the Phlegraean Fields, is a vast volcanic caldera about 9km west of Naples and roughly 50km from Mount Vesuvius. One of Europe’s most closely monitored volcanic systems, it has been undergoing a prolonged phase of bradyseism – the gradual rise and fall of the ground accompanied by increasingly frequent earthquakes – since 2005. Around 500,000 people live in the area’s 15 municipalities, which make up the high-risk “red zone.”