Vesuvius Turned Into Garbage Dump

Rome — A crisis in Naples which has seen the city swamped by thousands of tons of refuse for the past two weeks has extended to Mount Vesuvius.

A team of climbers abseiled into the mouth of the volcano to find an assortment of car tires, plastic kegs, batteries, and other refuse.

The rubbish crisis started when landfill sites became full and collections were stopped. Schools were forced to close amid fears of an outbreak of disease.

Today, the mayor announced a major operation to clean up the remaining piles of rubbish.

Up to 13,000 tons littered the city's streets at the peak of the crisis, and angry mobs tried to set fire to the trash.

President Napolitano of Italy has called the situation an "ecological and health disaster."