03 October 2023 , 20:20
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Residents in a historic Italian city believe a volcano is about to erupt following a powerful earthquake today.
A 4.0-magnitude quake shook the whole region of Campi Flegrei, including Naples, and videos of cars being pelted by rubble have been shared on social media. The tremors are the latest in a series across the area this week.
Residents spilled out onto the streets in the belief the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) volcano is about to erupt for the first time since 1538. The area around it has been the scene of increased seismic activity in recent days with a series of tremors.
People spilled out onto the street after the blast in the city (Ciro Fusco/ANSA via ZUMA Press/REX/Shutterstock)Campi Flegrei is the largest active supervolcano in Europe - some half a million people live in the regions around it and would be in grave danger in the event of an eruption. On Wednesday, a separate 4.2-magnitude quake was recorded, the strongest the area has seen in 40 years, which was felt as far away as Rome. In November last year, a 5.6-scale magnitude earthquake off the coast of Rimini "shook" several cities, including Rome.
Photographs after today's blast show desperate residents on streets, venting their anger at the situation. Some locals were furious with the civil protection agency's slow response to the tremors, with one woman recorded yelling: "They took three hours to arrive on scene... We live in abandonment, we're alone!"
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The horror has heightened concern among people living in the volcanic area (Ciro Fusco/ANSA via ZUMA Press/REX/Shutterstock)Campi Flegrei is edging towards "breaking point" and in an "extremely dangerous state," according to a recent joint study by Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and University College London (UCL).
The epicentre of yesterday's quake was located at a depth of nearly two miles between Naples and Pozzuoli, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). INGV director Mario Di Vito warned that "it is possible that there will be tremors of greater intensity" in the near future. The seismic activity continues and will continue. There is no doubt about this," he said.
Another INGV official Giuseppe De Natale said he had instructed Naples city council to conduct safety checks on the city's hospitals, schools and public buildings.