Displaying items by tag: Stromboli

A volcano on the tiny Italian island of Stromboli, off the coast of Sicily, has erupted for the second time in two months, forcing tourists to flee from this popular tourist spot. On 28 August a ‘high intensity’ explosion erupted, spewing huge clouds of black smoke and ash high into the sky. Streams of lava were seen rolling down the hills into the sea, forcing tourists to flee. Videos posted online show visitors in small boats desperately racing out to sea to avoid clouds of hot ash, which tore down the slopes of the volcano and into the waters surrounding the island. No injuries or damage have so far been reported, although the lava flows did start several small fires, forcing the authorities to send helicopters to dump water on the conflagrations. Stromboli is a continuously active volcano, but the recent eruptions are much larger than usual.

A series of eruptions has rocked the small island of Stromboli, off the west coast of Italy. The initial explosion was the largest since at least 2007, according to volcanologist Boris Benhcke. Firefighters were deployed to extinguish fires started by the eruption, and a helicopter was dispatched to rescue hikers in distress. One hiker died and a second was rescued. On 3 July, two primary eruptions occurred, preceded two minutes earlier by lava spills. At the time of writing there have been a further twenty minor explosive events. ‘We can still see the fire on the mountain,’ said one onlooker. ‘The mountain is burning but it doesn't look as if it's going to come to the village soon, at least. These eruptions are considerably more severe than normal. The island is engulfed in a plume of smoke.’