- An American tourist was killed by lightning on Mount Etna
- The 30-year-old was found in cardiac arrest
- He was later pronounced dead at a hospital in Catania
An American tourist has died after being struck by lightning while hiking on Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy.
Eko Hot Blog gathered the 30-year-old man, whose identity has not been released, was reportedly on the slopes of the active volcano on Sunday when a thunderstorm developed in the area.
Italian media reports said emergency responders found the tourist suffering cardiac arrest at around 8 p.m. local time in a restricted section of the mountain used by some visitors to approach the summit.
Firefighters and other emergency personnel rescued him before he was airlifted to Cannizzaro Hospital in Catania. However, doctors pronounced him dead shortly after he arrived at the facility.
The incident comes as Mount Etna experiences heightened volcanic activity, which has attracted large numbers of tourists while also causing disruptions to air travel in eastern Sicily.
Authorities have recently tightened restrictions on access to parts of the volcano, particularly the upper slopes where visitors have limited protection from sudden changes in weather.
Italy’s civil protection authorities have warned that the combination of volcanic activity and rapidly changing weather conditions at higher elevations can create dangerous situations for visitors.
Mount Etna, one of Europe’s most active volcanoes, attracts about 1.5 million visitors annually. Recent eruptions have sent ash into the skies over eastern Sicily and disrupted hundreds of flights at Catania International Airport.
The aviation warning for the area was lowered from the highest red alert level to orange on Saturday.
