Frightening Footage Shows BBC Crew Too Close to Volcanic Explosion

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Francesca Marchese

To call this footage crazy is an egregious understatement. A BBC team and a smattering of tourists were caught too close to Mount Etna in Sicily during an unexpected eruption that shot steam and molten rocks into the air. 

The BBC camera crew caught footage of the scene as the team fled to rescue vehicles. It's harrowing. Fortunately, no one present at the explosion is in critical condition. However, local media outlets report that at least 10 sustained some level of injury, including burns, cuts and one dislocated shoulder.

Etna is the largest and most active volcano in Europe. It has been erupting over the past couple weeks, but Thursday's explosive event was unexpected. The phreatic eruption was caused by the melting of snow cover, which almost instantaneously turned to steam and caused the large explosion. 

One volcanologist on the scene said it was the most dangerous event he's seen in 30 years of experience. BBC science correspondent Rebecca Morelle recounted the incident to the BBC and fired off a series of tweets outlining the situation, the danger, and ultimately how lucky the team had been to escape serious injury, in part thanks to an "excellent" rescue team, according to Morelle.

Etna serves as yet another reminder that nature is mighty and unpredictable.

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Dustin Nelson is a News Writer with Thrillist. He holds a Guinness World Record but has never met the fingernail lady. Follow him @dlukenelson.