A young American man died Sunday after lightning struck him on the slopes of Mount Etna, Sicily's active volcano, in an area Italian authorities had closed to hikers because of ongoing volcanic activity. Italian firefighters dispatched a rescue helicopter at around 8 p.m. local time, but medical personnel declared the man dead after he reached hospital.
The victim was 29 years old and from Kansas, according to Italian firefighters. His name was not released. A second source placed his age at 30; Italian fire service statements gave 29. Authorities said he had walked into a restricted zone to view the volcano's lava flow up close.
A yellow weather warning for severe thunderstorms was in effect for the Catania area at the time. Etna's upper slopes above the tree line offer no natural shelter during electrical storms, and the man was struck in an exposed section of that terrain. Officials said more people have died on Etna from lightning over recent decades than from volcanic activity itself—the last eruption-related fatalities on the volcano were recorded in 1987.
Etna has been erupting continuously since July. The volcano ejected a large cloud of ash in the days before the incident, and authorities had urged visitors to remain at least 200 meters from the lava flows. The prolonged activity led Italian authorities to close vast sections of the volcano's slopes to all hikers, making the area where the man was struck an explicitly prohibited zone.
The eruption's effects extended well beyond the mountain. Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, located near the volcano on Sicily's eastern coast, suspended arrivals and departures for most of last week because of ash clouds drifting over its airspace. The airport's operator, SAC, said the closure of Sector B3 was extended, with a suspension of flights through at least 4 p.m. on Aug. 13. Hundreds of flights were canceled or rerouted over the course of the week.
The death came during an extreme weather period across southern Europe. A heatwave pushed temperatures across the region toward record levels, with parts of Sicily recording highs near 47 degrees Celsius. The island has also been battling dozens of simultaneous wildfires. Firefighters reported 40 separate blazes burning across Sicily, including a large fire in the commune of Bivona that threatened homes and a marble processing plant in the Contrada Savarini area.
In Agrigento province, wildfires broke out in Favara, Sciacca, Cammarata and near Lake Arancio in Sambuca di Sicilia. Three Canadair water-bombing aircraft and dozens of ground firefighting teams were deployed in Castronovo di Sicilia, in Palermo province, after flames reached the edge of the town. Authorities evacuated 10 households—roughly 200 residents—and approximately 150 hectares of land burned in that area alone.
Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe and among the most active in the world. Its position on Sicily's eastern coast, close to a major airport and multiple tourist routes, has made access management a persistent challenge for Italian civil protection authorities, particularly during periods of heightened activity. The 1987 deaths remain the last directly attributed to an eruption on the mountain, a span of nearly four decades during which lightning and falls have claimed more lives than lava or volcanic gas.
