A volcano in the popular resort of Stromboli erupted Wednesday, releasing loads of molten lava and ash, killing one person, believed to be a tourist, who had been hiking nearby, according to a rescue service official cited by British media. The people are currently being evacuated from the island.
#Update: Video uploaded by one hiker who was running down the hill when he felt it, has caught a close shot of the 3KM high ash cloud of when it erupted on the island of #Stromboli in #Italy. pic.twitter.com/i96xotHly9
— Sotiri Dimpinoudis (@sotiridi) 3 июля 2019 г.
BREAKING NEWS- STROMBOLI VOLCANO IN SOUTHERN ITALY HAS ERUPTED.1 TOURISTS HAS BEEN KILLED AND SEVERAL INJURED WHILE VISITING THE VOLCANO. THE LAST ERUPTION OCCURRED IN THE 1960'S. VOLCANIC ACTIVITY HAS INCREASED ALL OVER THE WORLD. A VIDEO UP SOON. #stromboli #volcano pic.twitter.com/omswbd2xp6
— Disclosure Tv (@DisclosureTv_) 3 июля 2019 г.
There were reports that some distressed tourists had thrown themselves in the sea, while others attempted to evacuate the small island off the Sicilian coast in boats.
Evacuations have begun on the Italian island of Stromboli after reports came in of terrified tourists diving into the water.
— euronews (@euronews) 3 июля 2019 г.
Here is a time-lapse video of the volcano as it was erupting. https://t.co/8I2iyZEOAp pic.twitter.com/hGq0GidDTt
The locals were reported by the news agency Ansa to have barricaded themselves in their homes as they saw imminent danger in the masses of ash enveloping the island. Some took to Twitter to report their fear, “the biggest in their lives” as they heard a loud roar from violent explosions, apparently of magma trapped deep beneath the ground.
#BreakingNews: Tourist killed after Stromboli volcano erupts in southern Italy.
— Tom Odell (@TomOdellSays) 3 июля 2019 г.
Remember, that person didn't wake up this morning expecting to die today.
Your time is limited. Make it count. pic.twitter.com/V4X7s8IYv6
"The cloud got bigger, white and grey. It enveloped Ginostra and now the cloud has covered Stromboli entirely,” one shocked viewer wrote, with another butting in:
"We plugged our ears and after this a cloud of ash swept over us. The whole sky is full of ash, a fairly large cloud," another tourist was cited by media as saying.
According to Stefano Branca, from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, what the locals and tourists witnessed was a rare event of “great intensity” that is called "paroxysmal eruption" in scientific terms.
It happens when high-pressure magma is ejected out of a small, underground reservoir as a result of an explosion.
Stromboli is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is extremely popular during the summer months due to its crystal clear water and intriguing black sand beaches.
