A British man reportedly died of a suspected heart attack while hiking on Mount Vesuvius during a family holiday in Italy.
HOW HE COLLAPSED
Mark John Irwin, 56, was travelling with his wife and two children when he collapsed at the summit of the volcano.
Despite efforts by local guides using a defibrillator for 40 minutes, he could not be revived. He had undergone heart surgery two or three months prior, according to his wife.
His death is coincided with a severe heatwave affecting southern Europe, where temperatures reached up to 40C in recent days.
Paolo Cappelli, a local mountain guide association president, told The Telegraph: ‘He was right up at the summit when he collapsed. His wife told us that he had had an operation on his heart two or three months ago. We think he may have had a heart attack.
‘It’s very sad. It is pretty rare for this to happen on Vesuvius. We have one death every one or two years, which is not much considering the fact that about 3,000 people climb to the top of the volcano each day.’
