Italy mulls evacuation plan from volcano

ROME — The Italian government is planning for a possible mass evacuation of tens of thousands of people who live around the Campi Flegrei supervolcano near Naples, officials said on Thursday.

The new measures, which include a process to check on the strength of buildings in the area after months of repeated earthquakes, were expected to be discussed at a cabinet meeting later, a statement said.

Campi Flegrei, or Phlegraean Fields, lies some 20 kilometers from Naples and is dotted with towns and villages which have a combined population of more than 500,000.

The caldera is dotted with 24 craters and is a much bigger volcano than the nearby Vesuvius, which destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in AD 79.

It has been jolted by more than 1,100 earthquakes in the last month alone, including a 4.0 trembler on Monday and a 4.2-magnitude quake last week.

Experts said the increased seismic activity is probably linked to a phenomenon known as bradyseism, when the earth rises or falls depending on the cycle, caused by the filling or emptying of underground magma chambers.

There is not an imminent threat of an eruption, most volcanologists said, but with the ground currently rising by 1.5 centimeters a month, there is concern over the impact on local buildings.

Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said this week evacuations would only be triggered in case of "extreme necessity". Local media reported that a group of hospitals in the area would start evacuation tests from Friday to make sure they are ready to face stronger quakes.

Agencies Via Xinhua