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Witness History: The last eruption of Mount Vesuvius

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Vesuvius 1944 with blocks.jpg

15/03/2024 GMT

The last eruption of Mount Vesuvius

BBC World Service - Witness History, The last eruption of Mount Vesuvius

Vesuvius is famous for burying Pompeii but it last erupted in 1944, during World War Two

Mount Vesuvius is famous for destroying Pompeii in 79AD but it last erupted in 1944, during World War Two. Rock and ash filled the sky, and a flow of hot lava destroyed homes.

The Mount Vesuvius eruption that buried Pompeii in 79AD is well known, but far fewer people know about the last time the volcano erupted in 1944.

It was World War Two, and families in southern Italy had already lived through a German invasion, air bombardment, and surrender to the Allies. 

And then at 16:30 on 18 March, Vesuvius erupted. The sky filled with violent explosions of rock and ash, and burning lava flowed down the slopes, devastating villages.

By the time it was over, 11 days later, 26 people had died and about 12,000 people were forced to leave their homes. 

Angelina Formisano, who was nine, was among those evacuated from the village of San Sebastiano. She’s been speaking to Jane Wilkinson about being in the path of an erupting volcano.

(Photo: Vesuvius erupting in March 1944. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)

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