To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. Thousands of ‘danger tourists’ have travelled to the slopes of Mount Etna in Italy to witness explosive lava flows and breathtaking ash clouds after its latest eruption.
![[Tourists gathering round Mount Etna, an active volcano which erupted on February 11.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SEI_240666609-cdbe.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Sicily’s iconic volcano, which is the tallest and most active in Europe, regularly erupts and has attracted tourists for decades. But Sicilian authorities have hit out at ‘careless’ behaviour, warning that visitors are blocking the paths of rescue crews trying to provide assistance.
Etna’s most recent eruption, which began on the night of February 11, has sparked a sudden influx of hikers, photographers and volcanologists, who officials say pose a serious safety risk. The volcano’s first eruption in 2025 has intensified in recent days.
Salvo Cocina, Sicily’s head of regional civil protection, described the tourism to Etna in recent weeks as ‘wild’ and ‘extremely dangerous’. He said tourists parking on narrow streets in the area have obstructed emergency vehicles and made rescue attempts impossible.
‘As darkness falls, the situation becomes extremely dangerous, with rising risks of falls and people sinking in the snow,’ he wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday night. Cocina said the majority of tourists are ‘well accompanied by alpine and volcanological guides’ and blames the ‘careless behaviour of unprepared people’ for the accidents and calls for help.
On Saturday, Mayor Fabio Mancuso also issued a warning to his town of Adrano, which is located at the foot of the volcano. In a Facebook post, he wrote: ‘Etna is giving us a breathtaking spectacle: A lava flow has reached our territory. ‘A lot of people are trying to get closer to admire this natural phenomenon, but it is extremely dangerous!’.
However, not everyone has taken the advice on board. On Monday, Cocina said eight people attempting to hike up the mountain without a guide were lost for several hours before rescuers located them. Hours earlier, he claimed a 48-year-old man fractured his foot after falling on the ice.
Footage on social media reveals just how close people are getting to one of nature’s most powerful phenomena. One TikTok video shows dozens of tourists near a lava flow that has melted to form a stream in the snow. Skiing is prohibited in the area at the moment, but a second video appears to show skiers flouting rules by gliding past a lava flow.
The eruption on February 12 sent a cloud of ash and lava into the air which was visible from miles around. It came from the volcano’s southeast crater, called Bocca Nuova, meaning ‘new mouth’. During previous eruptions, nearby towns have been covered in thick volcanic ash, however, the recent eruption has caused minimal disruption – aside from delays and the diverting of flights at Catania Airport, at the foot of Mount Etna.
In April 2024, the volcano sparked fears of eruption after it was seen puffing rings of gas. It last erupted in 2023. Do you have a story to share?. Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk. Arrow MORE: UK Foreign Office ‘do not travel’ list for February 2025 in full.
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