Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, is attracting thousands of tourists eager to witness the spectacular lava flows cutting through the snow-capped mountain. The sudden influx of visitors, however, has caused trouble for rescue workers attempting to reach those in need of assistance. This, because the sightseers are blocking the streets.
Salvo Cocina, the regional civil protection head for Sicily, has described the booming tourism around the volcano as “wild” and “extremely dangerous.”
People are climbing the Sicilian slopes to get a better view. According to Mr Cocina, eight individuals attempting to reach the peak without a guide were lost for several hours on Monday before rescuers found them. It was also reported that a 48-year-old man fractured his foot after slipping on ice.
Mr Cocina has issued a warning, saying tourists were obstructing rescue vehicles by parking in narrow streets.
The continuous presence of rescue personnel, including 4×4 ambulances and other off-road vehicles, is crucial for both the authorised guides leading tourists up the mountain and those working on the volcano, he noted. “Blocking them has created a dangerous situation for everyone,” he said.
Carlo Caputo, the mayor of nearby Belpasso, warned that although Mount Etna appears visually stunning, it poses serious risks. Lava can rapidly evaporate snow, triggering violent explosions of rock and debris due to the released thermal energy.
Boris Behncke, a volcanologist with the Etna Observatory who lives on the mountain’s flank, told CNN on Tuesday that the lava had descended to about 1,950 meters in elevation, destroying trees near a service road.
The eruption, which began on February 11, peaked on February 17. It has since reached the Galvarina area of Adrano at an altitude of 2,000 meters, impacting local infrastructure and trees near the service road.
Etna can erupt multiple times in a year or even a month, spewing lava and ash high into the air. In 2021, it erupted so frequently that it grew nearly 100 feet (30 metres) in height.