An American tourist descended into a sinkhole at the top of Mount Vesuvius in an attempt to retrieve his cell phone over the weekend, Italian police told CNN on Monday.
A 23-year-old Baltimore man accompanied by three relatives was hiking an unauthorized trail in the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park in southern Italy on Saturday morning, according to Italian police. Two British tourists were also spotted walking on the forbidden trail. The man fell off a ravine but only sustained a few bruises on his hands, arms and back following the fall. He was treated by an ambulance that arrived on the scene, but he did not want to go to the hospital.
The business had obvious symptoms encouraging danger and prohibited access, and the prosecutor will choose whether to approve an official charge against them for invasion of public space.
The last eruption of Mount Vesuvius took place in 1944 and was followed by a state of repose. The mountain’s highest peak reaches 1,277 meters (4,190 feet), while the crater has a diameter of 450 meters (1,476 feet) and is 300 meters (984 feet) deep, according to the Vesuvius National Park website. Vesuvius had been a dormant volcano for centuries before it erupted in 79 AD, burying cities like Pompeii, Oplontis and Stabiae beneath ash.
Pompeii was covered by nearly 23 feet of volcanic ash, which preserved the city’s structures from the effects of weather and weather. Over time, it developed into a renowned vacation destination, while also providing a significant area for archaeological inquiry.
As Vesuvius erupted 230 years ago, a massive chunk of the ruins were buried from the effects of climate and debris. It has since become a popular tourist destination, and a growing site of archaeological research.
