On March 13, 2025, a 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit Naples Italy at 1:30 a.m. People reported the roofs collapsing in and rocks all over their living rooms.
In the earthquake, 15 people got injured and were sent to the hospital. According to reports from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), “the tremor struck closer to the city of Naples…and had an extremely shallow depth of 1.24 miles (2 kilometers) causing buildings to shake, and sections of structures to turn to rubble, crashing down on the street below.”
After the earthquake people had to leave their homes due to damage. Some had to sleep outside with some being homeless for a week now. The Italian fire brigade tried to offer assistance. CNN said ¨The Italian Fire Brigade and Red Cross (INGV) sassisted many people who had camped out overnight and were fearful of aftershocks. On Thursday morning, local authorities closed schools.¨
Luckily the earthquake only left minor damage. The earthquake caused some building and car damage but no deaths were reported. According to UPI, “Power was disrupted in some sections of the Naples metro area.” One person was rescued from the rubble by Bagnoli firefighters but was not seriously injured.
Some people speculated that Mount Vesuvius–the volcano that buried Pompeii in 79 AD, would erupt again, but the Italian brigade said there is no risk of this happening.
More than 1,813 earthquakes happened in February alone ranging between 0.3 and 3.9. Euro News said,¨In recent weeks, seismologists have reported increased activity in the area. Last summer, local authorities carried out drills in preparation for a potential major emergency.¨
AccuWeather explained that the seismic activity is “occurring across a vast caldera, formed by an eruption of the Campi Flegrei supervolcano more than two million years ago. The caldera stretches 125 miles under the Bay of Naples to the city’s western limits, and out to the islands of Capri and Ischia. The most intensely affected area is the Campi Flegrei “red zone,” which is home to some 500,000 people.”
This is the highest-magnitude earthquake since 1985.
