US hiker dies after he’s hit by lightning scaling Sicily’s Mount Etna

17 Aug 2026 • 10:40 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

US hiker dies after he’s hit by lightning scaling Sicily’s Mount Etna

  • A 29-year-old American tourist from Kansas has died after being struck by lightning whilst hiking on Sicily's Mount Etna.
  • The victim was in an exposed area above the tree line that had been closed to visitors due to prolonged volcanic activity.
  • Medical personnel declared the man dead after he was rescued from the volcano's slope by helicopter on Sunday evening.
  • Persistent ash emissions from Europe's largest active volcano recently forced nearby Catania airport to close, affecting nearly 2,000 flights.
  • Officials noted that lightning strikes have killed more people on Mount Etna in recent decades than volcanic eruptions themselves.

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