Naples University Evacuated After Campi Flegrei Earthquake

Italy’s Campi Flegrei, a highly seismic area near Naples in the southern Campania region, experienced a 4.4-magnitude earthquake on 13 May.

The earthquake struck at 12:06 PM at a depth of two kilometers off the coast of Pozzuoli, as reported by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in a statement.

This earthquake matched the intensity of previous ones in March and May, which were the strongest to hit Campi Flegrei in four decades, following a 3.9 magnitude earthquake in February.

[DATI #RIVISTI] #terremoto Md 4.4 ore 12:07 IT del 13-05-2025 a Campi Flegrei Prof= 2.6 Km #INGV_42122981 https://t.co/ao69V9eGso

— INGVterremoti (@INGVterremoti) May 13, 2025

Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of injuries or property damage. However, a 3.3 magnitude aftershock occurred at 12:22 PM, prompting the evacuation of schools in the area and the suspension of local train services.

Firefighters conducted structural checks on buildings in the Pozzuoli area of Campi Flegrei, west of Naples.

The earthquake was strongly felt in Naples, leading to the evacuation of the Fuorigrotta campus of the Università Federico II di Napoli, as reported by Il Mattino newspaper.

Campi Flegrei

Designated as a regional park two decades ago, Campi Flegrei is a highly seismic zone of supervolcanic calderas located west of Naples, approximately 50 kilometers from Mount Vesuvius.

Although the Campi Flegrei volcano last erupted in 1538, earthquakes have been frequent in the area since 1950, with increased seismic activity in the early 1980s.

Experts attribute the recent surge in seismic activity to bradyseism, a phenomenon related to the gradual uplift or descent of the earth’s surface due to the filling or emptying of underground magma chambers or hydrothermal activity.

The Campi Flegrei area comprises 15 towns with a total population exceeding half a million people residing in the most vulnerable ‘red zone’.

Last year, the Italian government introduced new measures in response to the escalating seismic activity, updating emergency plans for a potential mass evacuation.

Image: Pozzuoli, Campi Flegrei. Photo credit: Giuma / Shutterstock.com.