An American tourist has died after being struck by lightning while climbing the volcano Mount Etna in Italy on Sunday.
The man, 30, was hiking in a restricted area of the volcano on Sunday evening, apparently in a bid to get closer to the summit, the local newspaper La Sicilia reported. He was then caught in a thunderstorm and struck by lightning. The identity of the man has not yet been released.
The emergency services were contacted shortly before 8 p.m. local time and firefighters reached the hiker by helicopter.
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The man was taken to Cannizzaro Hospital in the city of Catania, but was pronounced dead in the emergency room at around 9.30 p.m. The man had been suffering from cardiac arrest, the newspaper Catania Today reported.
The incident was the second fatal lightning strike that occurred in Italy on Sunday. An Italian man died after being struck while hiking on the Piz Starlex mountain in the Alps in the South Tyrol region, the authorities reported.
Separately, four Spanish tourists were rescued from Italy’s Mount Colmegnone next to Lake Como on Sunday after they became stranded due a violent thunderstorm, the country’s ANSA news agency said.
The rescue operation, which involved a fire brigade helicopter, was particularly challenging due to strong winds and heavy rain.
Mount Etna Eruption
Mount Etna—located on the Italian island of Sicily—is Europe’s highest and most active volcano, and erupted between August 6 and 14 this month.
The eruption caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights at Catania airport, which is located around 50 miles south of the volcano. The airport is Italy’s fifth-busiest by passenger traffic.
An eruption was also recorded at the volcano in July at an altitude of around 3,000 meters.
This is a developing story. More to follow.