Threat from Vesuvius

Mt Vesuvius in southern Italy is the world's most dangerous volcano and a constant threat to hundreds of thousands of people who live in its shadow, an Italian expert says.

"Mt Vesuvius is currently the most threatening volcano in the world, because of the dense population living in the area," Franco Barberi, of Rome University, said at a geology congress in Florence.

About 700,000 people live in the area of Vesuvius, near Naples, which itself has a population of 1 million.

The volcano was made legendary by an eruption in the year 79, which engulfed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.