The Stromboli volcano, off Italy, erupted on Wednesday 3rd July 2019. A 35-year-old hiker died.
The small Italian village of Ginostra, at the foot of Stromboli volcano, woke up under the ashes and almost empty Thursday 4th July 2019, the day after a spectacular eruption of the volcano, which killed a hiker of 35 years.
Quelques minutes plus tard, les pentes de #Stromboli prennent feu. Le bilan ce soir est d’un mort, un disparu et plusieurs blessés. De nombreux habitants ont fui. pic.twitter.com/tRJgKJBXe5
— Stéphane Perret (@stperret) 3 July 2019
Only a few clouds of smoke escaped from the volcano, the day after the two huge explosions that had projected a plume of smoke 2 km high Wednesday afternoon.
In the air, Canadair aircrafts continued to drop water to finally extinguish the various fires triggered by lava and burning stones.
Since the eruption, “we have made 320 drops and continue,” said Giovanni Giacoppo, head of the forest rangers who coordinates their efforts from the ground.
Not far from him, firefighters were trying to clear the thick layer of ash that covers Ginostra and its surroundings.
Scientists and residents assure that the volcano has regained its composure and that a new eruption after the two explosions, without being totally excluded, was not in the habits of Stromboli.
Alerte en Italie..Le stromboli vient d’exploser avec 1 énorme entrée en iruption. pic.twitter.com/IlVu7MroUi
— 🌟Christian PAYAN Officiel 🌟 (@payanofficiel) 3 July 2019
“It was like being in hell”
On Wednesday evening, about 70 people were evacuated from Ginostra, the most affected commune on the southwestern side of the volcano, and a total of a thousand tourists stormed the five speedboats connecting with the Calabrian coast. In the evening.
Some have gone into a panic, abandoning their papers and luggage on the island.
“It was like being in hell, with a rain of fire falling from the sky,” said the island’s priest, Giovanni Longo, to the press. People have barricaded themselves in homes or thrown into the sea. On Thursday, rescuers warned against getting into the water, given the small tsunamis that some eruptions had caused in the past.
“C’était comme un James Bond, on était sur notre bateau à fond pour échapper aux nuages noirs” : un touriste raconte l’éruption du Strombolihttps://t.co/5lgWbw8up6 pic.twitter.com/IwC4A7ORhN
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) 4 July 2019
In addition to several minor injuries, the eruption killed one, Massimo Imbesi, a 35-year-old Sicilian, a photography enthusiast who had gone on a hike on the volcano, accompanied by a young Brazilian met the same day.
According to the rescuers, he was probably trapped by falling rocks and suffocated by gas. The young Brazilian, however, survived, dehydrated and shocked.
The volcanic island of Stromboli, which covers an area of 12.6 km2 and has about 500 inhabitants, attracts many tourists each year from the beginning of spring.
According to the Italian National Institute of Geophysics (INVG), the two huge explosions occurred Wednesday on the south-central slope of the volcano crater around 16:46 (14:46 GMT). They were preceded by lava flows.
