Clouds hang over Vesuvius volcano in Pompeii, southern Italy, January 25, 2021.
Gregorio Borgia / AFP
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Gregorio Borgia / AFP
Clouds hang over Vesuvius volcano in Pompeii, southern Italy, January 25, 2021.
Gregorio Borgia / AFP
ROME – An American tourist on Mount Vesuvius near Naples had to be rescued, news reports and the Association of Vesuvius Guides said, after he apparently slipped into the crater of an Italian volcano while trying to recover his fallen mobile phone.
The La Presse news agency reported that the police quoted the tourist and his family members as deviating from the authorized path to approach the crater on Saturday afternoon, apparently to take a selfie.
The head of the Confesercenti Tourism Association in Vesuvius, Paolo Capelli, said four volcano guides responded immediately after one of them noticed the tourist falling into the crater of the volcano and was experiencing “serious difficulty”.
Cappelli said in a statement that the guides lowered a 15-meter rope into the hole, pulled the tourist and administered first aid after he suffered abrasions to his legs, arm and back. Cappelli said the Carabinieri Park police then arrived and brought the American to the police station to file a complaint.
Mount Vesuvius, which erupted in AD 79 and destroyed the nearby city of Pompeii, is a popular hiking spot.
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