Have you ever been in a situation where you thought that this is it, ‘I am going to die today’ but found a new respect for life after narrowly escaping danger? Well, this is what these vacationers might have felt when they had to run for their lives as a volcano erupted on an island they were touring in.
Boaters enjoying the day on the southern Sicilian coast in Italy fled when the eruption on the small island created dense smoke clouds that extended more than two kilometres in height.
19-year-old Elena Schiera from Palermo, Sicily, who had been on a sailing boat near the volcano when it erupted shared the horrifying video on her social media.
She told CNN, “We were sailing at a safe distance as per the ordinance when all of a sudden we heard a loud bang and saw a large black cloud spewing out of the Stromboli crater and pouring into the sea.”
“We immediately increased the speed of the boat to the maximum, even though, being a sailboat, the speed was still limited. Then the cloud arrived at sea and began to advance quickly towards us. At that moment the panic broke out because we had the cloud a few meters away from our stern, but thanks to my father who was at the helm we managed to get away just in time because then the cloud started to rise again,” Schiera recalled.
Locals and tourist on the island had to run for cover as the explosion sent gas, rock and volcanic ash on the surrounding area.
Another tourist, Jean-Francois Avril, who was near the volcano when it erupted said:
“We saw a big explosion, a big eruption and we heard a very loud roar. A lot of smoke came out immediately and we saw the lava flowing, it was really impressive.”
Reportedly, the eruption also resulted in massive fires nearby. At the time of eruption, the island was inhabited by around 5,000 people but no injuries or fatalities were reported.
Reports also indicate that it was the volcano’s second eruption in less than two months. The Stromboli volcano previously erupted in July, killing one hiker and covering the popular tourist destination in ash.
Well, that’s one hell of a narrow escape that the tourists will remember for the rest of their lives!
cover image: source