A 29-year-old American tourist from Kansas died after being struck by lightning while hiking on Mount Etna, Europe's largest and most active volcano, in Sicily. Italian firefighters confirmed the incident occurred Sunday night in the Rocca Capra area, at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet.
The man was rescued by helicopter following the lightning strike but was later pronounced dead by medical officials. His name has not yet been released.
Mount Etna has experienced recent eruptive activity, with lava flows descending its slopes. The volcanic ash from the volcano also led to the closure of Sicily's main airport last week, disrupting summer travel and forcing flights to be rerouted to other airports on the island. Despite the volcano's activity, records indicate that lightning strikes have caused more fatalities on Mount Etna than volcanic eruptions in recent decades. The last eruption-related deaths on the volcano occurred in 1987.