Due to increased volcanic activity and gas in the area, the mayor of Vulcano Island in the Aeolian Islands of Sicily has ordered the evacuation of about 150 people and banned tourists.
Last October, the Italian Civil Defense Agency Small island In the Tyrrhenian Sea, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) north of Sicily, a series of significant changes occurred in volcanic parameters.
Mayor Marco Giorgianni ordered the evacuation of about 150 people from the island’s harbor area, which Italian authorities consider to be the most exposed area to sulfur gases.
In a live-streamed meeting with residents on Facebook on Saturday, the mayor said: “The data indicate an increase in gas and cause strong concern because they may pose a threat to public health.”
According to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanoes (INGV) in Italy, the increase in heavy gases will reduce the oxygen content in the air, causing breathing difficulties and potentially fatal effects.
The local authorities have also created a “red zone” where the level of gas produced by volcanic activity is more concentrated, carbon dioxide (CO2) Is higher than normal and restricts the remaining residents from leaving their homes between 11pm and 6am. The island will be closed to tourists for a month.
On October 21, some people on the island reported that volcanic emissions caused their pets to get sick. “One day, I suddenly noticed my 10 cats lying on the floor, as if they had passed out,” Stefania Lombardo told the Italian daily la Repubblica, “I also feel sick, and I have difficulty breathing. They told me it was just After a panic attack, the doctor confirmed that the cause of the disease was the exhalation of air from the crater.”
Last month, Marco Pistolesi, a professor of volcanology at the University of Pisa, mentioned the island’s “degassing, increased temperature and seismic activity” and said, “For those who know the island, this is the previous Never observed”.
The last eruption of Vulcano was more than 130 years ago and lasted from August 2, 1888 to March 22, 1890.
The Romans believed that this small island was the chimney of Vulcan, the god of fire.
