One dead, several injured as volcano erupts on Italian island of Stromboli

Thursday, July 4, 2019

As a series of eruptions from one of the most active volcanoes on Earth rocked the small Italian island of Stromboli, a hiker was killed. A helicopter was dispatched to rescue the hikers who signaled distress, according to the Italian fire and rescue service, Vigili del Fuoco. Firefighters were deployed to extinguish fires started by the volcano eruption. They rescued a second hiker.

The volcano is one of the most active on the planet and has been under a regular state of eruption since 1932. The two primary eruptions occurred around 4:46 p.m., local time, on the island, which is located in Tyrrhenian Sea, off the western coast of Italy, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology reported. Those eruptions were preceded by lava spills about two minutes prior.

Pictures show Stromboli engulfed in a huge plume of smoke, visible from other islands which are kilometers away.

The victim was a 35-year-old man from Sicily who was hiking when the volcano erupted twice. He was hit by a falling stone, while other people were injured. His Brazilian friend was discovered dehydrated and in a state of shock. The navy has been deployed for a possible mass evacuation, with 70 people already evacuated.

There was a mushroom cloud coming from Stromboli. Then red hot lava started running down the mountain towards the little village of Ginostra.

The volcano is known as “the lighthouse of the Mediterranean” because of its frequent, bright eruptions at night. Wednesday’s eruptions are considerably more severe than normal.

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