A magnitude 4.7 earthquake, the strongest to hit the region in four decades, struck the Campi Flegrei volcanic area near Naples on Friday evening, injuring at least 21 people, two of them critically.
The tremor struck at 7:46 p.m. local time at a depth of roughly 3 kilometres, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. The coastal town of Pozzuoli, near the epicentre, bore the heaviest damage: a building partially collapsed and falling rubble crushed parked cars. More than 250 residents were evacuated and nine buildings were declared unsafe. A high-voltage pylon partially collapsed, disrupting power to about 100,000 households.
The Pozzuoli pier was rendered unusable, halting ferry services to Ischia and Procida, while high-speed rail passengers faced delays of up to six hours. About 60 aftershocks followed, including a 3.8-magnitude tremor. The Campi Flegrei caldera is Europe's largest active supervolcano.