Naples quake: 26 injured, about 300 evacuated, officials say

A 4.7-magnitude earthquake in the Campi Flegrei area west of Naples injured 26 people and forced about 300 to evacuate, Italian authorities said Saturday.

Italy's Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said the quake struck late Friday, July 31, at a depth of three kilometres. Lower-intensity aftershocks followed overnight.

Italy's civil protection service said five of the injured people were hospitalised. Nello Musumeci, Italy's civil protection minister, said the earthquake caused the collapse of several unoccupied buildings and landslides. He warned that volcanic activity in the area was not over and urged caution.

Ansa news agency said most of the damage and all of the evacuees were in Pozzuoli. Lorenzo Benedetto, president of the Order of Geologists of Campania, said the quake was the strongest in the Phlegraean Fields in the past 40 years.

The Campi Flegrei region is the site of Europe's largest volcanic crater and has frequent seismic activity.