An American tourist was saved after falling into the crater of Vesuvius while trying to retrieve his phone.
Italian media said the 23-year-old was trying to take a selfie at the summit when his phone slipped out of his hand and fell into the crater.
He tried to reach the device during Saturday’s incident, but then fell several meters into the crater.
Guide Vesuvius, supervised by a rescue helicopter, went deep into the crater to reach the man, who subsequently needed treatment for minor injuries.
Reports say the tourist and three relatives took a prohibited route to the top of the mountain and face charges.
Mount Vesuvius in Italy Considered by experts to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, with a population of around 600,000 people living in its danger zone.
Any eruption would have an impact on three million people in the Naples area.
Its eruption in 79AD buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic ash and rock.
Vesuvius remains the only volcano on the European continent to have erupted in the past 100 years.
The famous Vesuvius looms over the Bay of Naples. Photo: AP
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When it broke out in 1913, Vesuvius remained active until 1944.
The crater is 450m in diameter and 300m deep. Vesuvius’ highest peak is 1,277 meters.
