American Hiker Dies After Lightning Strike on Mount Etna in Italy

An American man died after being struck by lightning while hiking on Mount Etna in Italy, emergency officials said Monday.

Rescuers found the 29-year-old man in serious condition Sunday on the eastern side of Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, the local fire department said in a statement. Firefighters transported him by helicopter to Cannizzaro Hospital in Catania, the nearest major city, on the east coast of Sicily.

The hospital declined to identify the man until its officials had contacted his next of kin. He arrived in a state of cardiac arrest and was declared dead about an hour later, hospital officials said in a statement.

According to local fire officials, the hiker was found alone in an area known as Valle del Bove that was closed to the public. The valley had been rocked by an unusually heavy bout of volcanic activity in recent days, prompting local authorities to close some of the area.

On Monday, Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology reported that another volcanic vent had opened in the valley, with fresh lava flowing overnight.

The international airport in Catania said early Monday that it was imposing limits on the number of flights arriving until Tuesday afternoon as a result of the volume of ash being released into the atmosphere by Mount Etna. Seismic activity at the volcano — which is just 30 miles, or about 48 kilometers, from the airport — had forced hundreds of cancellations and delays for more than 10 days.

While thunderstorms had been forecast for Sicily on Sunday, lightning can be generated by volcanic eruptions, according to the National Weather Service. During a volcanic eruption, tiny collisions among the rising particles of ash can create static electricity, which may in turn produce volcanic lightning. During an eruption of Mount Etna in August 2023, Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology reported lightning within the ash clouds.

According to Italian health authorities, lightning strikes in the country are particularly common in July and August. A recent study showed that some 89 people were killed by lightning strikes in Italy from 2001 to 2020.

During thunderstorms, people in elevated areas such as mountain ridges and summits can be particularly exposed to lightning, according to the National Weather Service.

The U.S. Consulate in Naples, which has jurisdiction over the region of Sicily, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.