The volcano is still active
An American tourist on holiday in Italy found himself in a volcanic crater after ignoring warnings and choosing to hike up the side of Mount Vesuvius.
The unnamed man, believed to be 23, fell into the volcano after dropping his phone while taking a selfie. His actions resulted in a mountain rescue helicopter being deployed and guides forced to abseil into the crater to get him out.
According to local outlet La Repubblica, the American received treatment for minor injuries but refused to be taken to the hospital for a more substantial medical check. The man and his family are now faced with an impending investigation, as they ignored signs and reportedly bypassed a turnstile to access the forbidden route.
They could face charges of invading public land.
Vesuvius is still an active volcano, having last erupted from 1913-1944 but the most famous eruption by far occurred in Pompeii in 79AD, claiming the lives of 2,000 people initially and 16,000 in total. The Department of Earth and Geo-environmental Sciences at the University of Bari believe that people died in just 15-minutes, asphyxiated by the gases and ashes.
The lethal cloud had “a temperature of over 100 degrees and was composed of CO2, chlorides, particles of incandescent ash and volcanic glass”, said Roberto Isaia, senior researcher of the Vesuvius Observatory of the INGV.
According to History.com, one witness said dust “poured across the land” like a flood and that the city was shrouded in “a darkness…like the black of closed and unlighted rooms.”
The city was rediscovered in 1748 when explorers found the city relatively intact under the rubble.
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