Lightning, not lava, killed a tourist on Etna

On Etna this week, it was not lava or ash that killed. It was lightning.

A 29-year-old tourist from Kansas was found Sunday evening on an open rocky slope at Rocca Capra, at 1,400 m. He was lifted out by helicopter. Medics pronounced him dead. His name was not released.

Parts of the slopes were already closed because of a prolonged eruption that had largely shut Catania airport for nearly a week. Whether he was inside a banned zone, rescuers have not yet said.

A detail rarely mentioned in volcano stories: in recent decades more people have died on Etna from lightning than from volcanic activity itself. The last eruption-related deaths were in 1987.