US hiker killed by lightning on Etna as volcano tourism surges

An American tourist has died after being struck by lightning on Mount Etna, according to multiple international reports. The Guardian, BBC and the New York Times all confirmed the death of a 29-year-old man who was hiking in a restricted area of the volcano, closed to visitors due to recent volcanic activity. Rescuers found him in serious condition on the eastern slope on Sunday, and he was later pronounced dead at a hospital in Catania.

The incident comes as Etna's ongoing eruption has drawn crowds of tourists eager to witness the spectacle, despite safety warnings. Euronews reported that visitors are flocking to the volcano even as authorities have closed Catania Airport due to ash. The tension between the allure of the active volcano and the risks it poses is now tragically underscored.

The New York Times reported that the man was found on the volcano's eastern slope on Sunday, with rescuers initially treating him for serious injuries before he died at a hospital in Catania. CBS News noted that the hiker was apparently walking in a closed-off area when the thunderstorm developed. The Guardian added that the area had been sealed off because of recent volcanic activity, a detail that raises pointed questions about how visitors navigate, or ignore, official restrictions.

The death is the starkest possible illustration of a phenomenon Euronews documented last week: tourists deliberately seeking out Etna's eruption despite the dangers. The volcano, Europe's tallest active one, has become a summer draw, with plumes of ash and lava streams pulling in sightseers even as they disrupt air travel. Local guides have expressed concerns about the risks, but the crowds keep coming, driven by the same impulse that fills Tuscan hill towns every August: the desire to witness something extraordinary, up close.

For Tuscany, the story offers a grim mirror. The region's own attractions — its Renaissance cities, its vineyards — draw visitors in comparable numbers, and the challenge of managing that influx against safety and preservation is a familiar one. The Etna tragedy, reported across the international press, is a reminder that the line between experiencing a place and endangering oneself can be thin, and that the postcard image rarely includes the warnings.