Does it hurt to be killed by volcanic explosion, like Pompeii?
Obviously I don't want to actually experience this but I'm curious about what it would feel like. Does the exact cause of death make it hurt more/less?
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Answers ( 1 )
People were struggling to breathe in a gloomy ash cloud, then a wave of poison gas washed over them and their bodies were buried in a storm of ash encasing them where the had fallen. This was not a pleasant way to die.
In 79 AD Mount Vesuvius erupted with a force comparable to the atomic bombs dropped on Japan by the United States. It sent hot volcanic gas, ash and small rocks in a column so high into the sky that it could be seen for hundreds of miles. Ash, pumice and other lightweight rocks were ejected, then as they cooled started raining down on Pompeii, prompting most of the 12,000 residents to leave.
About 2,000 remained and tried to ride out the event, but things grew worse. The air became clogged with increasing amounts of ash which made it difficult to breathe. Some buildings even collapsed. This was followed by a pyroclastic surge which sent superheated poisonous gas and pulverized rock racing down the volcano and over Pompeii at 100 miles per hour, engulfing everything in its path. Ash continued to fall until the evening of yhe following day. Millions of tons of ash buried the cities of Pompeii, Stabiae, Herculaneum, and Oplonti bringing the death toll to 16,000.
The ash packed itself around the bodies of people where they fell, creating negative molds as the bodies decayed and only bones remained. During the excavation of Pompeii some of these cavities were filled with plaster to create casts reproducing the victims with varying levels of detail. Household objects, art, jewelry and scrolls were everywhere and even preserved jars of fruit were recovered.
Photo CC 2.0 by Tyler Bell from Flickr