The evacuation of the locals on the Italian island of Vulcano in northern Sicily has begun and continues due to the possibility of deadly gases.
There are reports of rising carbon dioxide levels well above normal, which are said to come from underground and cause health problems to locals and pets. The island, named after the volcanoes, will not receive tourists for a month.
What is Vulcano Island?
Vulcano is a volcanic island in the Aeolian Archipelago, located 14 nautical miles north of Sicily. It actually consists of two islands, Vulcano and Vulcanello, which are joined by an isthmus that is covered by the sea when there is a storm.
Its area amounts to 21 sq.m., the population to 715 inhabitants and administratively belongs to the Municipality of Lipari. The distance between Vulcano and Lipari is a little less than half a mile.
The island lives mainly from the tourism it gathers thanks to the thermal springs and the mud baths. It also produces wine of the same quality as Santorini - the vines were introduced in the 19th century by the British James Stevenson, who owned the northern part of the main island since 1860, but abandoned it after the volcano reactivated in 1888.