Mount Villarrica, one of the most active volcanos in Chile, located 750 km south of capital Santiago seen in April 2006. (CC BY-SA
Iulloa/Wikimedia commons)
Chilean first responders rescued an Israeli tourist from the summit of an active volcano on Friday, after the hiker fell and injured himself on the trail.
According to local reports, the 24-year-old was airlifted from the peak of Mount Villarrica in the south of the country after falling down a slope of the 2,847 meter (9,300 feet) volcano. It was not erupting at the time.
The Israeli man was airlifted via helicopter to the town of Pucon, where he was being treated for broken tibias and other injuries.
Reports in Chilean media said it was not clear what had caused the man to fall while hiking one of the country’s most popular trails. The head of the search and rescue team, Maj. Luis Orellana, told the Cooperativa news site authorities were looking into the incident.
The Villarrica volcano emits a plume of smoke and gases near Pucon, Chile, Sunday, Apr. 5, 2015. (AP Photo/ Claudio Santana)
Mount Villarrica, some 750 km (470 miles) south of capital Santiago, is one of South America’s most active volcanoes. The trail to the snow-capped peak of the mountain is known to be a challenging hike, but draws hundreds of tourists each day.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
The volcano has been on “early preventative alert” since May 2016. The last major eruption at Villarrica was in March 2015, though a minor eruption in 2017 sent terrified hikers scrambling down the slopes.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
