Is this just a fiery thrill or another disaster waiting to happen?

The Kilauea eruption went on to destroy 657 houses. The sightseeing continued at a more discreet but not always safe distance: 23 visitors were injured when lava bombs crashed through the roof of their tour boat.

It may be that tourists are putting themselves increasingly in harm’s way, which some blame on the attention-seeking culture of social media that encourages users to present evermore exciting and adventurous lives.

That’s a worry considering eight of the world’s 12 most active volcanoes are in well-tramped tourist destinations, namely Kilauea and Mauna Loa in Hawaii, Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland, Sakurajima in Japan, Mt Merapi in Java, and Etna, Vesuvius and Stromboli in Italy.

A visitor died on Stromboli in 2019, and six were injured from a tidal wave caused by falling magma in 2022. An eruption of hot ash from Mt Merapi in December last year killed 24 young hikers.

You might want to avoid particularly active volcanoes, especially in destinations beyond Hawaii, Japan, New Zealand and Europe where they may not be well monitored. Only a fifth of the world’s 1500 active volcanoes are kept under proper observation.

Wherever you are, mitigate the risk by following local-authority guidelines, researching recent activity, and engaging reputable guides. Never go beyond roped-off areas. In 2017 an eleven-year-old strayed into a prohibited area on Solfatara near Naples: the ground collapsed and his parents too were killed trying to rescue him.

However, the chances of being on the wrong volcano at the wrong moment are incredibly low. A study by the University of Bristol in England says 561 tourists have been killed by volcanic action since 1500. Nearly 100 fatalities have been in the last decade, but most were from a sole eruption of Japan’s Mt Otake in 2014, which killed 63 hikers.

With all due respect to victims and their families, bad things can happen when travelling. I haven’t stopped crossing the road for fear of being run over, nor avoided the tropics for fear of dengue fever. I do take sensible steps to reduce those risks, though.