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An American tourist visiting Mount Vesuvius in Italy has had to be rescued after falling into the red-hot crater while trying to retrieve his phone.
US tourist rescued from crater of Mount Vesuvius
An American tourist had to be rescued on Italy’s Mount Vesuvius volcano near Naples after he apparently slipped into the crater while trying to recover his phone, news reports and the association of Vesuvius park guides said.
The tourist and family members were cited by local police because they went off the authorised path to get closer to the crater on Saturday afternoon, apparently to take a selfie, the LaPresse news agency said.
The head of the Confesercenti tourism association for Vesuvius, Paolo Cappelli, said four volcano guides responded immediately after one noticed the tourist had fallen into the crater and was in "serious difficulty."
In a statement, Cappelli said the guides lowered a rope 15 metres into the crater, pulled the tourist out and provided initial first aid, after he suffered abrasions on his legs, arm and back.
