The Naples area felt dozens of earthquakes, sparking scenes of panic

The authorities reported that dozens of seismic tremors of unprecedented intensity in 40 years were recorded, on Monday evening, May 20, 2024, in the Phlegrain fields near Naples in southern Italy, without causing significant damage but causing panic among the population.

The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) announced that a 4.4-magnitude earthquake was recorded at 8:10 pm local time (6:10 pm GMT), at a depth of 2.5 kilometers.

“The most powerful earthquake swarm in the past forty years.”

It was preceded a few minutes ago by an earthquake measuring 3.5 magnitude, followed by dozens of aftershocks.

“Since 7:51 PM (5:51 PM GMT, editor's note), a seismic swarm has been underway in the area of ​​the Phlegren Fields.”volcanic area, and “49 earthquakes were measured.”The institute said in a press release shortly before midnight.

According to Mauro De Vito, of INGV, “This is the strongest seismic swarm in the last 40 years.”.

Firefighters reported on the social network “Cracks” And based on “The Fall of the Corniche” While amateur videos showed a supermarket floor littered with bottles of milk or alcohol that had fallen from the shelves in Pozzuoli, a town located in the Flegrain Fields activity area where half a million people live.

Schools will remain closed on Tuesday in Pozzuoli, the city's mayor, Luigi Manzoni, announced on Facebook, where accommodation centers were opened and tents were set up in a parking lot and a beachfront square to accommodate panicked residents.

INGV does not rule out more tremors during the night.

Concerned local residents

The volcano, which extends over a circumference of 15 x 12 km, has a typical flat-bottomed depression left after an eruption. It is the largest active caldera (“cauldron” in Spanish) in Europe, located on the border of the coastal municipalities of Naples and Pozzuoli.

In this area, the Phlegrean fields obscure the nearby Vesuvius River, which dominates the Gulf of Naples and whose eruption wiped Pompeii from the map in 79.

On the green champagnes, there is no explosion of 40,000 people that affects the climate of the plan, including rivers and scientists in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe operation of the son's activity due to gas emissions from the magma and font pressure on the surface of the earth. .

“We have to live with fear all the time”A Pozzuoli resident testified on the public channel Rain news. “How long will the buildings be able to withstand all these shocks, that's what we're wondering, because they're not designed to absorb much.”

“The ground continues to rise at a rate of two centimeters per month, which is higher than last year, and it appears that this will unfortunately have to continue.”estimates volcanologist Mauro De Vito on the channel Channel 21.

But the disaster scenario, i.e. the expulsion of lava, ash and stones, is unlikely in the near future, according to specialists.