Mount Vesuvius murdered its victims in more brutal ways than we thought

In 79AD the volcano's eruption killed scores of people in Italy.

It has long been supposed that the vast majority died from association choking on the thick clouds of noxious gas and ash. However a new study suggests many died in a far more gruesome way.

Apparently the cause of death for many people may have an immediate vaporisation of body fluid with resulting skull explosions due to the intense heat of the volcano.