Mount Etna is Europe's tallest volcano and one of the world's most active volcanoes, drawing approximately 1.5 million visitors every year. Recent weeks have brought repeated lava flows and ash eruptions from the mountain, and ash has clouded skies over eastern Sicily. Volcanic ash disrupted operations at Catania International Airport.

The airport suspended all flights until August 15, and an aviation alert for Mount Etna was downgraded from red to orange on Saturday. Authorities have restricted access to areas of Mount Etna, particularly upper slopes with little shelter above the tree line, due to increased volcanic activity.

Italy's Civil Protection agency warns that ascending Mount Etna causes sudden weather changes due to humid sea air meeting cold air masses. "The passage from sea level to high mountain within a few kilometers causes sudden changes in weather due to currents of humid air coming from the sea meeting masses of cold air," the agency stated. Officials stated that more people have died on Mount Etna from lightning strikes over recent decades than from volcanic activity. The last eruption-related fatalities on Mount Etna occurred in 1987.

Timeline

In 1987, the last eruption-related fatalities on Mount Etna occurred. On August 15, 2026, an aviation alert for Mount Etna was downgraded from red to orange on Saturday. On August 16, 2026, a 30-year-old American tourist died after being struck by lightning on Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy. The tourist was hiking on Mount Etna when a thunderstorm occurred. The man was found at about 1,400 meters in the Rocca Capra area, and initial reports indicate the hiker entered an area designated as off-limits to hikers. The man was flown to Cannizzaro Hospital in Catania, where doctors were unable to revive the man and he was declared dead at 9:30 p.m. local time.

What's New

Officials stated that more people have died on Mount Etna from lightning strikes over recent decades than from volcanic activity. The last eruption-related fatalities on Mount Etna occurred in 1987. An aviation alert for Mount Etna was downgraded from red to orange on Saturday.

The man was declared dead at 9:30 p.m. at Cannizzaro Hospital in Catania, according to local newspaper Catania Today. Catania International Airport is international airport serving Catania, Sicily, Italy. Catania Airport suspended all flights until August 15. Sicily is island in the Mediterranean, region of Italy.

Why It Matters

The death shows the risks faced by the approximately 1.5 million people who visit Mount Etna every year, despite authorities restricting access to areas with little shelter above the tree line due to increased volcanic activity. He stated that more people have died on Mount Etna from lightning strikes over recent decades than from volcanic activity, with the last eruption-related fatalities occurring in 1987. Italy's Civil Protection agency noted that the rapid ascent from sea level to high mountain causes sudden weather changes due to currents of humid air coming from the sea meeting masses of cold air.