Thousands of tourists flock to see Etna eruption, blocking rescue services

The Guardian

18-02-2025

Thousands of tourists have flocked to witness spectacular eruptions on Mount Etna, blocking streets and preventing rescue services from reaching people in need of assistance, local authorities have said.
Sicily's head of regional civil protection, Salvo Cocina, described the tourism of recent days at Etna as 'wild' and 'extremely dangerous,' warning that day-trippers drawn by the exceptional views had parked their cars along narrow streets, impeding rescue vehicles.
In a post on Facebook on Sunday night, Cocina said the flow of people had created 'a wild scene with cars crowding the narrow roads, a traffic standstill … and rescue vehicles unable to pass'. He added: 'As darkness falls, the situation becomes extremely dangerous, with rising risks of falls and people sinking into the snow.'
His warning, however, appeared to fall on deaf ears.
Eight people, including two minors, got lost during an excursion on Monday and were only located several hours later, a development that prompted a call to the fire brigade. On Sunday, a 48-year-old man suffered a fractured foot from a fall and four others had gone missing the previous night.
Firefighters were brought in to assist locals and curb the flow of tourists and day-trippers from Sicily and beyond through the overcrowded streets, while mayors of the towns on the volcano's slopes have ordered visitors to stay at least 500 metres from the lava – a directive which has been almost completely ignored.
Hundreds of videos featuring day-trippers who reached the area have gone viral over the weekend, showing visitors just centimetres from the snow. One TikTok clip shows dozens of tourists near a lava flow that, slowly descending the snowy slope, has melted the snow to form a stream.
'I've seen many photos and videos of people dangerously close to the front, even skiing,' said Carlo Caputo, mayor of nearby town Belpasso. 'Though visually striking, it exposes them to serious risks, as the lava, interacting with the snow, can instantly vaporise it and, with the thermal energy released, may violently hurl fragments or rocks.'
Italy, home to the most Unesco heritage sites in the world, is becoming wearily accustomed to episodes of overtourism.
Last month, the mayor of Roccaraso, a popular Italian ski resort, clamped down on day-trippers and even hinted at calling in the army to deal with an unprecedented invasion of tourists after the town was overwhelmed by 260 buses carrying over 10,000 visitors from Naples and the surrounding Campania region, lured by a TikTok star and cheap tickets.