Tourists flock to erupting volcano in Italy, blocking rescue workers

A crowd of tourists gather to witness a lava flow descend down the southwestern flank of Mount Etna. (Salvatore Allegra/Anadolu/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

ROME — A week of spectacular lava sprays on Sicily’s snow-capped Mount Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanos, has drawn thousands of people wanting to see the eruption.

But the sudden influx of sightseers has become a safety risk, according to Salvo Cocina, head of Sicily’s regional Civil Protection agency.

Most of the tourists are well-equipped and accompanied by alpine and volcanological guides, he told CNN, but “there is also a constant influx of thousands of people, wildly parking and hiking up the edge of narrow roads, blocking the circulation of rescue vehicles.”

On Monday eight people who were attempting to hike up the mountain without a guide were lost for several hours before rescuers located them, Cocina said. On Sunday, a 48-year-old man fractured his foot after falling on ice, he said.

He added the constant presence of rescue workers, including 4x4 ambulances and other off-road vehicles, is important for those who work on the volcano and for the guides who are authorized to take people up the mountain.

“Blocking them has created a dangerous situation for everyone,” he said.

The current eruptive phase started February 11, according to the country’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. Videos and photos of the bright orange lava flowing down the mountainside went viral after a group of hikers posted them on social media.

Boris Behncke, a volcanologist with Etna Observatory, who lives on the mountain flank told CNN Tuesday that the lava had descended to about 1,950-metre elevation and destroyed trees near a service road.

Catania’s airport also diverted flights away from the ash clouds both Sunday and Monday, according to the airport’s X account, but has now resumed all services. The airport closes several times a year due to the active volcano.

As well as being the most active stratovolcano in the world, Mount Etna is also Europe’s highest volcano, at about 3,350 metres (almost 11,000 feet) tall.

In 2023, a cloud of volcanic ash spewing from the volcano prompted the closure of one of Sicily’s largest airports, leading to flights being delayed, canceled and diverted.

Article written by Barbie Latza Nadeau and Billy Stockwell, CNN

CNN’s Duerte Mendonca contributed to this report.