PITON DE LA FOURNAISE, Reunion (AP) — Journalists arriving this week to the Indian Ocean island Reunion to report about the discovery of a jet wing fragment were met with another spectacular sight: the eruption of one of the Earth’s most active volcanoes.
As the volcano spewed red-hot lava high up in the air in Reunion’s southeastern corner, some excitable reporters thought a large-scale emergency evacuation would take place and that the search for airplane wreckage believed to come from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 would be called off.
That didn’t happen. Instead awe-struck tourists and fascinated scientists climbed the mountain to enjoy the display, which is a common occurrence at the tropical island east of Madagascar.