- Tragedy unfolded when boy, 11, entered prohibited area at Solfatara, near Naples
- Mother, 42, and father, 45, tried to pull him to safety only for crater to collapse
- They are said to have fallen 5ft but the exact cause of their death is not yet clear
A couple and their 11-year-old son have fallen to their death in a volcanic crater in Italy as their seven-year-old boy stood nearby, it has emerged.
The tragedy is said to have unfolded when the older son walked into a prohibited area at Solfatara near Naples in the country’s south west.
His mother, 42, and father, 45, tried to pull him to safety only for the base of the crater to collapse.
A boy and his parents have been killed after falling into a volcanoic crater in Italy, it has emerged
The tragedy is believed to have unfolded when the 11-year-old walked into a prohibited area at Solfatara near Naples in the country’s south west
The boy’s mother, 42, and father, 45, tried to pull him to safety only for the base of the crater to collapse. They are understood to have fallen 5ft but it is not yet known whether they were killed by the fall or by toxic gas fumes. Three body bags were later pictured at the scene
The family, from Turin in northern Italy, are understood to have fallen 5ft. It is not yet clear whether toxic gas fumes at the volcanic site caused their death.
Another of the couple’s sons, a seven-year-old, survived amid reports he was able to scramble to safety. Separate reports claim he did not enter the prohibited area at all.
Eyewitnesses reported arriving at the scene to see the young boy crying and asking for help.
Solfatara is a shallow volcanic crater at Pozzuoli, close to Naples.
It is a dormant volcano, but still emits jets of steam with sulfurous fumes and is part of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area.
More follows.