Tourist falls into Mount Vesuvius while taking a selfie

Man fell 15 metres into the gaping hole, but risked a further fall of 300 metres

Worth the snap? The yawning crater of Mt Vesuvius, near Naples (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A tourist fell into the crater of Italy’s Mount Vesuviusvolcano, allegedly while trying to take a selfie, according to local tourism officials.

The 23-year-old American man was visiting from Baltimore when he and his family accessed the volcano’s crater via an off-limits trail on Saturday afternoon.

Paolo Capelli, president of the Presidio Permanente Vesuvio - a guides’ base at the top of the peak - told local newspaper Il Mattino that the man had dropped his phone into the crater, then stumbled and fallen around 15 metres into the vast hole.

At the edge of the crater - which is around 1,000 feet deep, with a diameter of about 1,500 feet - Mr Capelli said the man had reached for his phone to take a selfie of the dramatic view.

“I feel the obligation to intervene to clearly explain the facts concerning the American tourist who fell into the crater of Vesuvius last Saturday,” wrote Mr Capelli in a statement to press.

“At around 3pm, the service team of the volcanological guides, spotted two people on the upper part of the crater, an area forbidden to access alone. With the use of binoculars they immediately realized that one of the two had slipped inside the crater and was in serious trouble.

“Four volcanological guides set in motion instantly and, arriving on site, one of them was lowered with a rope for about 15 meters to allow them to secure the inexperienced tourist who risked a further fall of over 300 metres.

The tourist's injuries (FIGAV - Confesercenti)

“The boy was brought to safety by our guides who also provided him with first aid treatment, as he had multiple bruises on his legs, arms and back.”

He said the region’s Carabinieri Forestali (“Forest Police”) then arrived to take the man to their headquarters and report him for trespassing.

Mount Vesuvius - most famous for annihilating the ancient Italian city of Pompeii in 79AD - is a 35-minute drive from the city of Naples and a popular tourist site.

However, its hiking trails and guided tours are strictly controlled with many areas off-limits.

“The life of volcanological guides is not simple: they are always on the crater to safeguard the safety of tourists and, therefore, recognizing the promptness and professionalism shown on this occasion also seemed to me the right thing to do,” Mr Capelli added in his statement.

“Having spoken directly with the rescuers, I can safely say that last Saturday on Vesuvius they saved a human life.

“I officially thank the whole group of guides belonging to the Permanent Vulcano Vesuvius Presidium, always ready and operational in any condition.”

Gennaro Lametta, a Naples government tourism official for FIGAV - Confesercenti, confirmed the incident on Facebook, posting a photo of the bruised and battered man, who he said was unconscious when he was rescued.

The photo showed significant bruising to the tourist’s back and skinned elbows.

“This morning a tourist for reasons still to be determined . . . together with his family they ventured on a forbidden path, arrived on the edge of the crater and fell into the mouth of #Vesuvius,” Mr Lametta wrote in the caption.