Disaster tourism is on the rise

A file photo of curious onlookers gathering to observe the eruption of the Mauna Loa Volcano in Hawaii in December 2022. — Reuters

As the glowing river of lava from a volcano that erupted in December in Iceland ebbed, not everyone was happy.

Hazel Lane, a 49-year-old dental practice manager in London, England had booked a ticket to Reykjavik as soon as she saw footage of the eruption on television, hoping to witness spectacular lava flows beneath molten red skies.