American tourist dies after lightning strike on Mount Etna
The hiker was struck while climbing Europe’s most active volcano amid ongoing eruptions.
Video shows tourists fleeing down the mountain as Mount Etna in Catania, Italy, sends smoke and ash rocketing into the sky on June 2.
An American tourist died over the weekend after being struck by lightning on Sicily’s Mount Etna, according to local reports.
The hiker was struck Sunday night while climbing Europe’s most active volcano, Italian news agency ANSA reported. He was rescued at 8 p.m. CEST “in serious condition” and transferred to the Cannizzaro Hospital in Catania but was declared dead.
The man was found in the Rocca Capra area at about 1,400 meters (4,593 feet), according to The Associated Press. His name has not been released.
Mount Etna's eruptive activity continues, with active lava flows fed by vents located at 2,750 and 1,900 meters of altitude, alongside ongoing ash emissions from the Voragine summit crater in Catania, Sicily, Italy on Aug. 14, 2026. (Photo by Salvatore Allegra/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The incident occurred during Etna’s period of continuous eruptions, which began on Aug. 6 with no predicted end date. The eruptions have caused major disruptions at Sicily’s largest airport, causing hundreds of flights scheduled to land in Catania to be canceled or diverted in a six-day period.
While Etna attracts many tourists with its phenomenal eruptions, Italy’s fifth heat wave is causing more storms across the country, ANSA added. Etna’s extended activity has also caused officials to close parts of the volcano’s slope to hikers, but it is unknown whether the man was in a restricted area, per the AP.
This is not the first fatality that occurred on Mount Etna. In 1987, two people were killed and seven others were injured from an explosion from Etna's southeast crater, according to the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program.
An aerial view of Catania at dusk, with a large plume of volcanic ash rising from Mount Etna in the background, on Aug. 11, 2026, in Catania, Italy. (Photo by Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images)
Over the weekend, more than 250 rescue interventions took place in multiple Italian regions, CNSAS, an Italian rescue organization, wrote in a Facebook post. A local man, also believed to be struck by lightning during his descent, was found dead on Piz Starlex, a mountain in Italy’s northernmost autonomous province Alto Adige. About 40 people were involved in search and rescue operations, who found his body at about 2,600 meters (8,530 feet) with help from a drone.
“The numerous interventions of the weekend confirm the great commitment of our technicians during one of the periods of greater mountain frequency, with operational teams for many hours, even during the night and in complex environmental and meteorological conditions,” CNSAS wrote.
The Italian Civil Protection Department urges those who are caught in a thunderstorm on a mountain to reach a path at lower altitudes and to avoid high or exposed areas such as peaks or ridges. Seek shelter in a building or car, and keep as much distance as possible from others in your group.
Information for this story was gathered using Google Translate.
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