Watch: Narrow Escape For TV Crew As Mt Etna Volcano Erupts

The crew managed to catch the explosion on camera as they narrowly escaped to safety.
Suhasini Krishnan
Social Buzz
Updated:
BBC crew and tourists caught in live volcano eruption. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/BBC World)
BBC crew and tourists caught in live volcano eruption. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/<a href="https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/842418751626739712">BBC World</a>)
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On Thursday, a BBC crew and several tourists were on Mount Etna – an active volcano in Sicily – when an explosion pelted them with boiling rocks and steam.

The crew managed to catch the explosion on camera as they narrowly escaped to safety.

BBC reporter Rebecca Morelle said a volcanologist – who was present at the scene along with her – called it the most dangerous incident in his 30-year-old career.

While everyone had only a few seconds to run to safety and there were no serious injuries, one of the guides dislocated his shoulder and there were several burns and cuts.

Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It makes for a popular destination for tourists who want to witness a live volcano, as well as scientists, who wish to carry out research.

Climbing up to a live volcano, however, is not an activity one just gets up and performs casually. There are teams of experts and guides who are familiar with the terrain and understand what is safe, and what isn’t – the same applied to the crew and group of tourists at the site.

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Volcanoes, however, are unpredictable. In this case, hot lava spewed into the snow, creating steam that unexpectedly caused the high-pressure explosion.

Morelle, BBC’s science correspondent captured the experience in a nutshell.

And while we’re at it, here’s a glimpse of what the camerawoman’s jacket looked like after the explosion.

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

Published: 16 Mar 2017,02:30 AM IST

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