Dangerous photo hunt

Etna tourists ignore warnings from the authorities

Sicily's head of regional civil protection described tourism on Mount Etna in recent days as "wild" and "extremely dangerous".

(Bild: AP Photo/Etnawalk, Giuseppe Di Stefano)

Tourists often overstep boundaries in the hunt for spectacular photos. This is also true in the case of thousands of people who climb the currently rumbling Mount Etna volcano in Sicily to take photos. Countless ill-equipped holidaymakers are ignoring the warnings of the authorities, making their way to the crater and putting themselves in danger, warned the civil protection authorities.

The lava from the 3,000-metre-high and slightly snow-covered Mount Etna is currently moving in a particularly impressive way - and hundreds of videos of day trippers who have reached the area are circulating on the internet. A TikTok clip shows dozens of tourists near a lava flow slowly descending the snow-covered slope.

Head of civil protection sounds the alarm
Sicily's head of regional civil protection, Salvo Cocina, described tourism on Mount Etna in recent days as "wild" and "extremely dangerous" and warned that day-trippers attracted by the extraordinary sight are parking their cars along the narrow roads. They are blocking the emergency services with their vehicles, preventing them from reaching those in need of help, the local authorities complain.

In a post on Facebook, Cocina wrote that the flow of people had caused traffic to come to a standstill. "As night falls, the situation becomes extremely dangerous as there is a high risk of falls," Cocina continued.

Warnings fall on deaf ears
However, his warning seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Eight people, including two minors, got lost on an excursion on Monday and were only found several hours later. On Sunday, a 48-year-old man had broken his foot in a fall. The fire department was called out to help locals and stem the flow of tourists and day-trippers from Sicily and other countries through the crowded streets.

"I have seen many photos and videos of people dangerously close to the lava front, even skiing," said Carlo Caputo, the mayor of Belpasso, a town near the volcano. "This is visually impressive, but also very dangerous, as the lava is explosive when it interacts with the snow," emphasized Caputo.

Minor eruptions have been occurring on Mount Etna for days, accompanied by weak earth tremors. Mount Etna, which is located in the east of the island of Sicily, has erupted repeatedly in recent months. The area around the volcano is a nature park and popular with many tourists. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013.