Vesuvius killed people of Pompeii in 15 minutes, study suggests
by Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo from Science | The Guardian on (#5FMZN)
Cloud of ash and gas engulfed Roman city within minutes and suffocated inhabitants, research says
A giant cloud of ash and gases released by Vesuvius in 79 AD took about 15 minutes to kill the inhabitants of Pompeii, research suggests.
The estimated 2,000 people who died in the ancient Roman city when they could not escape were not overwhelmed by the lava, but rather asphyxiated by the gases and ashes and later covered in volcanic debris to leave a mark of their physical presence millennia later.
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