A hiker has been killed as a series of eruptions at one of the most active volcanoes on Earth rocks the Italian tourist island of Stromboli.
The dead man - later named as Massimo Imbesi, 35, from Sicily - “was hit by falling rocks as he climbed the volcano with a Brazilian companion, who was found shocked and dehydrated by rescuers”, says the Daily Mail.
Fire and rescue workers have recovered Imbesi’s body. Several other tourists are believed to be missing following the eruption, which witnesses described as “like a nuke going off”, the Daily Mirror reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What happened?
The volcano on Stromboli- a small island with around 500 residents off the north coast of Sicily- erupted at 4.46pm local time (2.46pm GMT), reports CNN.
Lava spilled out ahead of two primary eruptions, which were followed by “about 20 minor explosive events”, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.
Dozens of frightened tourists are reported to have fled into the sea to escape the eruptions. “There was this smoke and material, just going up, and up and up,” Cristiano Demurtas, a London-based theatre director, told CNN. “[I saw a] fountain of stones, but it was like one second, or maybe two seconds.”
Alana Elliot, a lawyer from east London, told the Daily Mirror that she was relaxing on the beach of a neighbouring island with her fiance when they “heard a really loud boom as though thunder and lightning had struck right next to us”, and saw a “big mushroom cloud which looked like a nuke” above Stromboli.
Firefighters were deployed to extinguish fires, and a helicopter was dispatched to rescue hikers, as the plume of smoke from the volcano rose more than a mile into the sky.
Meanwhile, about 70 residents were evacuated from the nearby hamlet of Ginostra, reports the New York Post.
“It was like being in hell because of the rain of fire coming from the sky,” said local priest Giovanni Longo.
How active is Stromboli?
One of three main active volcanoes in Italy, “Stromboli has been in a near-continuous eruptive phase for decades”, says CNN.
Indeed, “the volcano is known as ‘the lighthouse of the Mediterranean’ because of its frequent, bright eruptions at night”, adds the US-based news network.
In December 2002, one such explosion triggered a tidal wave after magma from a particularly violent eruption cascaded into the sea. Six people were injured.
However, this week’s eruptions “are considerably more severe than normal”, says CNN.
According to volcanologist Boris Behncke, of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, the initial explosion on Wednesday was the largest in 12 years.
-
Nepal chooses toddler as its new ‘living goddess’Under the Radar Girls between two and four are typically chosen to live inside the temple as the Kumari – until puberty strikes
-
October 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
