Over 550 earthquakes recorded at Campi Flegrei caldera, prompting school closures in Pozzuoli, Italy

Over 550 earthquakes recorded at Campi Flegrei caldera, prompting school closures in Pozzuoli, Italy

Rishika Yadav

An intense earthquake swarm is in progress in the Campi Flegrei volcanic caldera, southern Italy, since 15:53 UTC on February 15, 2025. More than 556 earthquakes with magnitudes up to M3.9 were registered by 13:00 UTC on February 18. As a precautionary measure, schools in the town of Pozzuoli, which is close to the epicenter of the earthquakes, are closed today.

An intense earthquake swarm started at Campi Flegrei volcanic caldera — also known as Phlegrean Fields — at 16:53 LT (15:53 UTC) on February 15, with the area recording more than 556 earthquakes by 13:00 UTC on February 18, according to data provided by the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

The two strongest earthquakes measured M3.9. The first occurred in the Gulf of Pozzuoli at 15:30 LT (14:30 UTC) on February 16, and the second near Pozzuoli at 00:19 LT on February 17 (23:19 UTC on February 16).

In response to the increasing seismicity, Pozzuoli Mayor Gigi Manzoni ordered the closure of schools on February 18 to allow municipal technicians to conduct structural safety inspections.

The country’s Civil Protection Department also deployed volunteer emergency responders and established temporary shelters for displaced residents in Pozzuoli, Bacoli, and Naples.

Nello Musumeci, Civil Protection Minister, has appointed a special commissioner to oversee risk-prevention measures and has raised concerns over urban development in this seismically active region.