'Red zone' around Vesuvius expanded

NAPLES, Italy, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- The Italian civil protection agency on Friday extended the area that could be at risk, should Mount Vesuvius erupt, officials said.

Mount Vesuvius is in the Gulf of Naples. The new "red zone" surrounding the volcano includes 24 municipalities instead of the previous 18, Italy's ANSA news agency reported. About 800,000 people live in the area.

The red zone would be evacuated in the event of an eruption.

Mount Vesuvius is best known for an 79 A.D. eruption that led to the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum being destroyed and buried in ash. It is believed to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the number of people living around its cone.