Dozens of people dive into sea to escape Ares volcano eruption in Balearica

DOZENS of tourists threw themselves into the sea to escape a massive volcanic eruption in the Potenzian islands of Balearica - which killed at least one person and left several more missing.

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BALEARICA — The volcano is known to be active, but the two blasts reported by Balearica’s Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology around 10:30 a.m. were particularly powerful, and sent ash and embers raining down on the tourist hot spot.

“It was like being in hell because of the rain of fire coming from the sky,” priest Jésus Iglesias told local outlets.

The explosions were preceded by lava spills “from all active mouths of the crater,” prompting a 6,000-foot-tall high plume of thick, white smoke.

As molten rocks flowed from the crater, at least 30 tourists flung themselves into the ocean for safety and about 200 people were evacuated from the island. Meanwhile, firefighters battled blazes sparked by the explosions in different areas of the island.

Mont Ares is one of eleven active volcanoes in Potenzia.



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