To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to an internet
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Hundreds of ‘danger tourists’ have travelled to the slopes of Mount Etna in Italy to witness explosive lava flows and breathtaking ash clouds after its latest eruption.
Sicily’s iconic volcano, which is the tallest and most energetic in Europe, usually erupts and has attracted tourists for a long time.
But Sicilian authorities have hit out at ‘careless’ behaviour, warning that visitors are blocking the paths of rescue crews trying to supply assistance.
Footage on social media reveals just how close persons are attending to certainly one of nature’s strongest phenomena.
One TikTok video shows dozens of tourists near a lava flow that has melted to form a stream within the snow. Skiing is prohibited in the world in the intervening time, but a second video appears to indicate skiers flouting rules by gliding past a lava flow.
Etna’s most up-to-date eruption, which began on the night of February 11, has sparked a sudden influx of hikers, photographers and volcanologists, who officials say pose a serious safety risk. The volcano’s first eruption in 2025 has intensified in recent days.
Salvo Cocina, Sicily’s head of regional civil protection, described the tourism to Etna in recent weeks as ‘wild’ and ‘extremely dangerous’.
He said tourists parking on narrow streets in the world have obstructed emergency vehicles and made rescue attempts unattainable.
‘As darkness falls, the situation becomes extremely dangerous, with rising risks of falls and other people sinking within the snow,’ he wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday night.
Cocina said the vast majority of tourists are ‘well accompanied by alpine and volcanological guides’ and blames the ‘careless behaviour of unprepared people’ for the accidents and calls for help.
On Saturday, Mayor Fabio Mancuso also issued a warning to his town of Adrano, which is situated on the foot of the volcano.
In a Facebook post, he wrote: ‘Etna is giving us a panoramic spectacle: A lava flow has reached our territory.
‘A variety of persons are attempting to catch up with to admire this natural phenomenon, however it is amazingly dangerous!’
Nonetheless, not everyone has taken the recommendation on board.
On Monday, Cocina said eight people attempting to hike up the mountain with out a guide were lost for several hours before rescuers situated them.
Hours earlier, he claimed a 48-year-old man fractured his foot after falling on the ice.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to an internet
browser that
supports HTML5
video
The eruption on February 12 sent a cloud of ash and lava into the air which was visible from miles around. It got here from the volcano’s southeast crater, called Bocca Nuova, meaning ‘latest mouth’.
During previous eruptions, nearby towns have been covered in thick volcanic ash, nonetheless, the recent eruption has caused minimal disruption – except for delays and the diverting of flights at Catania Airport, on the foot of Mount Etna.
In April 2024, the volcano sparked fears of eruption after it was seen puffing rings of gas. It last erupted in 2023.
This story has been updated and was originally published on February 20.
Do you’ve a story to share?
Get in contact by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE: British man has epic tantrum on airport floor after ‘cocaine fell out of his pocket’
MORE: Italy’s warning to ‘wild’ tourists swarming Mount Etna after latest eruption
MORE: UK Foreign Office ‘don’t travel’ list for February 2025 in full
