A magnitude 4.0 earthquake rocked the
Campi Flegrei area near Naples at 13:46 on Friday as a worrying
a wave of seismic activity in the volcanic caldera continued.
The quake, which struck at a depth of four kilometers, could be
felt in several districts of Naples.
The Campi Flegrei area, also known the Phlegrean Fields in
English, is currently being affected by bradyseism, or ground
uplift, and there have been a series of earthquakes there in
recent months.
The civil protection department said there were no initial
reports of damage from Friday's quake.
Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci has appointed a special
commissioner for the Campi Flegrei area to take care of
risk-prevention measures.
The minister has complained about how urban development had been
allowed in the area.
"The government is giving more than its due on the Phlegraean
Fields, one of the most dangerous and complex volcanoes in the
world," he said last month.
"Extremely serious responsibilities are emerging, both distant
and less distant ones, involving all bodies, starting with the
regional government and the municipalities concerned - Naples,
Pozzuoli and Bacoli.
"Unreasonable, chaotic and haphazard urban development was
authorized, and the impending dangers in the area were never
taken into account.
"Those who were supposed to supervise did not do so".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA