A boy - just 11 years of age - and his parents, have died in a volcanic crater in Pozzouli, Italy.
The family was visiting the crater as tourists. The boy slipped in to a restricted area and fell into a ten-foot deep pit. The parents, 42-year-old Tiziana Zaramella, and 45-year-old Massimiliano Carrer lost their lives trying to save their child.
An additional family member, a 7-year-old boy, witnessed what happened but did not walk beyond the restricted area.
A bystander, Diego Vitagliano, saw the boy crying and said he asked for help:
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I didn’t think I would find myself confronted with the most brutal tragedy of my life. I, too, am a father. ... I did not imagine that I would have seen such ... I continue to think of the family and of the poor child who was crying and calling for help.
It is not clear whether the family died of the sulfurous fumes that the crater emits or the hot lava.
The Solfatara crater belongs to the Phlegraean Fields, and is locally referred to as Campi Flegrei (which translates to “burning fields”).
Many ancient volcanic craters and are located in this area and west of Naples. Geologists constantly monitor the area’s temperatures and gases, at the Solfatara site. Signs alert tourists of boiling temperatures and scalding steam.
The mayor of Pozzuoli, Vincenzo Figliolia, expressed grief at the tragedy:
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It's a moment of deep sadness for all of us.
Source Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wor ... a50d9c70a8