British tourist, 56, on holiday with wife and children dies after ‘falling ill’ while hiking up Mount Vesuvius in Italy

A 56-YEAR-OLD British tourist has died after “falling ill” while hiking up Mount Vesuvius in Italy.

The man, named by Italian media as Mark John Irwin, had been on holiday in Italy with his wife and two children.

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Mr Irwin fell ill near the top of the volcano and reportedly suffered a heart attack.

Despite the best efforts of rescuers to save him, he died while still on the volcano near Naples.

Local guides equipped with a defibrillator spent 40 minutes trying in vain to resuscitate Irwin, who had reportedly recently undergone heart surgery, reports The Times.

A spokesman for the British embassy in Rome said officials were supporting the family of a British national who died in Italy.

Italy has seen temperatures as high as 40C in recent days.

Speaking to The Telegraph , Paolo Cappelli said: “It’s very sad. It is pretty rare for this to happen on Vesuvius.

“We have one death every one or two years which is not much considering the fact that around 3,000 people climb to the top of the volcano each day.”

Excessive heat has been blamed for other deaths across the continent, including in Crete where a 67-year-old German man was found dead after embarking on a solo hike on the island.

Rescuers are still looking for two French women walkers, aged 73 and 64, who went missing on the Greek island of Sikinos.

Meanwhile, a 59-year-old American retired policeman is being looked for after going missing on the island of Amorgos.

TV presenter and health expert Michael Mosley was found dead on the Greek island of Symi earlier this month after he set off to walk on his own in high temperatures.