Evacuation of Vulcano as volcanic activity increases

The mayor of Vulcano, in Sicily’s Aeolian archipelago, ordered the evacuation of 150 people and banned tourists from the island due to increased volcanic activity and gases in the area.

In October, Italy’s civil protection agency issued an amber alert for the tiny island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, about 25km north of Sicily, after a series of significant changes in volcanic parameters. Mayor Marco Giorgianni ordered the evacuation of approximately 150 people in the island’s harbour area, which is considered by Italian authorities to be the most exposed to sulphurous gases.