Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Four British men face prosecution for taking selfies near exploding volcano

The four men took a ferry to the get access to the volcano

Thomas Kingsley
Thursday 21 October 2021 16:14 BST
Comments
The volcano has been erupting since September
The volcano has been erupting since September (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Four British men could reportedly be facing prosecution after breaching police warnings along the active La Palma volcano to take photos which were later posted on social media.

The four Brits are believed to have taken an unusual journey to reach the volcano, which has caused thousands of people to flee their homes and destroyed hundreds of properties. They travelled by boat from their homes in Tenerife to reach dangerous out of bounds areas near the 1075C lava.

According to local media, the men, reported to be gym enthusiasts, now face possible court action after putting their lives and the lives of security forces at risk.

One of the men posted a photo of himself on social media wearing a t-shirt and shorts not far from the burning lava. He said: “We had to cover to sneak round the army and police. It was a full SAS mission with roadblocks, search points and animals to dog in pitch black.”

In another message he added: “Took a plane, a rental car, a ferry, and a five hour night hike around the army’s roadblocks but we f*****g did it. Once in a lifetime s**t.”

The Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Spanish Canary Islands erupted on 19 September and has since destroyed more than 1,880 acres of land and 2,000 buildings destroyed.

Have you got a story you would like us to report on? Contact us by clicking here

The close-up footage and photos the group took are understood to have been used by Civil Guard officers in La Palma to identify the men.

Spanish TV broadcaster La Sexta said that the police had identified the men in a report sent to government officials, with prosecutors proposing possible disobedience charges. The four men have not yet been formally named.

The Civil Guard has yet to make any official comment on the incident.

Although the island was devastated by the volcano, there have been no casualties due to prompt and robust evacuations by the police and strong efforts to keep people away from the volcano.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in