A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck the Campi Flegrei area west of Naples on Friday evening, injuring at least 26 people and prompting the evacuation of around 300 residents, according to Italian civil protection authorities. The shallow tremor, at a depth of three kilometres, was felt across the metropolitan region and is the most powerful recorded in the volcanic caldera in four decades.

Five of the injured required hospitalisation, two in a serious condition with fractures and trauma, medical sources reported. The quake caused several unoccupied buildings to collapse and triggered landslides, with large boulders crushing parked cars in the town of Pozzuoli, the worst-affected municipality. Power cuts were reported in parts of Naples, and rail and metro services were suspended for safety inspections.

Approximately 300 people, all from Pozzuoli, were evacuated from their homes as a precaution, with emergency shelters set up. Firefighters and technical teams were conducting structural assessments of buildings, and the civil protection minister, Nello Musumeci, said eight residential buildings and five commercial properties had been declared unsafe so far, a number that could rise.

A swarm of more than 170 aftershocks followed the main tremor, including a magnitude 3.8 event and two early-morning shocks of 3.0 and 3.1. Minister Musumeci warned that the seismic activity was not over and that further events above magnitude 3 could occur. The Campi Flegrei area, a densely populated volcanic caldera, has been experiencing a phase of bradyseism – slow ground uplift – which scientists say is linked to the increased seismicity.

As inspections continued, the port of Pozzuoli remained closed due to cracks in the quay, and some rail lines were still interrupted. The regional government announced an initial €1 million in aid for displaced families. Authorities urged residents to remain cautious and follow official guidance while the seismic swarm persists.