11-YEAR-OLD BOY, PARENTS KILLED IN VOLCANIC FIELD

MILAN Three family members visiting a steamy volcanic field near Naples died Tuesday after an 11-year-old boy entered an off-limits area and his parents followed to try to rescue him, police said.

Police said the boy apparently slipped after he breached a fence surrounding the prohibited area at the Solfatara Crater in Pozzuoli.

A seven-year-old boy who was a member of the same Italian family was nearby but remained outside the fenced-off area.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the 11-year-old and his parents were overcome by gases or were killed as a result of an explosion of super-heated mud. Heavy rains in recent days may have played a role by creating more openings in the volcanic field’s surface.

The crater is located in the Phlegraean Fields, a sprawling constellation of ancient volcanic craters frequented by Italian schoolchildren and tourists from around the world. The fields are scorching hot only a few inches below the surface.

Signs around the crater in multiple languages warn of the danger of burning from high soil temperatures and steam up to 160 C.