Written by Staff Writer, CNN
The survival of filmmaker Maverick Viñales looks to be in safe hands after he was caught in a massive cloud of volcanic ash during Peru’s Ash Mount eruption.
The 37-year-old artist was enjoying a weekend hiking trip with his girlfriend and cameraman when the volcano started to spew out its toxic gases.
“It was very quiet at first,” he recalled. “I was just walking in a corner when everything started throwing out this ash.”
Smoke puffs followed by rain stopped his girlfriend and cameraman, Mauricio Juarez, and the two started running. With little-to-no experience to rely on, Viñales joined them in the dash for safety.
“I don’t even know how I managed to get out of there without getting injured, I am so lucky,” he said.
Wild horses? Orcas? Pampas horses? How to get offa volcano, Noah’s Ark style
The 6,800-foot tall Nazca peaks of south-central Peru cover a vast expanse of clearest, darkest wilderness. (CNN’s Steph Foreman got an amazing, behind-the-scenes look at the top of the Andes.)
It has been named as one of the most biodiverse areas on earth, and among the most biologically diverse places in the world.
Fortunately, the British filmmaker says he is “not more important than some wild horses.”
“I am in such shape — I didn’t see anything to hurt me.”
The Italian-Peruvian national has been making his name in the documentary world. He has photographed the last llama herd in Tuscany and has created a red carpet style film about mountaineering.