On Mount Etna, Lightning Has Claimed More Lives Than Eruptions Since 1980 | Discover Magazineskip to main content

STORIES THAT MATTER

Subscribe

On Mount Etna, Lightning Has Claimed More Lives Than Eruptions Since 1980<br>Learn how a recent U.S. tourist&rsquo;s death reveals an overlooked danger on the slopes of Europe&rsquo;s most active volcano.<br>Written byAnastasia ScottAnastasia Scott

Anastasia Scott is an Assistant Editor at Discover Magazine. Her work focuses on bringing clarity and creativity to scientific ideas.<br>View Full Profile.<br>Learn about our Editorial Policy.

2026-08-18T21:30:00 | 3 min read

Mt. Etna eruption, not associated with current news story.(Image Credit: Wead/Shutterstock)Newsletter<br>Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

Mount Etna had been sending lava down its slopes and ash into the sky when a 29-year-old American tourist hiked across the volcano on Aug. 16, 2026. But the danger that killed him came from the storm overhead. During a thunderstorm, lightning struck the Kansas man on a treeless stretch of the mountain.<br>div]:relative" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-playwire-inbody-shared">

The man was found in the Rocca Capra area at about 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) above sea level, according to the Associated Press (AP). Firefighters airlifted him from the mountain, but he was later pronounced dead.<br>His death adds to a counterintuitive pattern on Etna. On a mountain known for fire, lightning has claimed more lives in recent decades than the volcano itself. A historical compilation identified six lightning deaths in Etna’s modern record before the latest case, bringing the count to seven. By comparison, Etna’s eruptions have killed two people since 1980.<br>Mount Etna Has a History of Fatal Lightning Strikes<br>Those earlier deaths stretch back at least to August 1999, when an Israeli tourist was struck and killed on the mountain. Two years later, lightning killed Sabrina Pilara and Horst Karl Martin at an elevation of about 9,800 feet (3,000 meters), according to a compilation by Santo Scalia for the local publication Il Vulcanico.<br>div]:relative" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-playwire-inbody-mobile-1">

In August 2004, an unidentified man was struck and killed inside the Valle del Bove. The following month, 49-year-old French tourist Étienne Nicoladze Arnaud died near Montagnola.<br>div]:relative" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-playwire-inbody-desktop-1">

The compilation also records the death of a forestry worker near Monti Rossi, although it does not provide the year of that incident. Together, those cases account for the six lightning deaths recorded before the latest tragedy.<br>Read More : Fuego Volcano's 50-Hour Eruption in Guatemala Sends Lava Fountains Almost 1,000 Feet High<br>Etna’s Last Fatal Eruption Was Nearly 40 Years Ago<br>Etna’s eruptions have been lethal, particularly for people close to its summit craters. Its most recent eruption-related deaths occurred on April 17, 1987, when a sudden phreatic explosion threw fragments of older volcanic material from the Southeast Crater, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program. Two tourists were killed, and seven others were injured about 1,600 feet (500 meters) from the crater.<br>div]:relative" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-playwire-inbody-mobile-2">

A similar explosion at the Bocca Nuova crater killed nine tourists and injured 23 in September 1979, according to the Smithsonian. No eruption-related deaths have been recorded on Etna since 1987.<br>The contrast is partly about where each danger travels. Access restrictions can keep visitors away from an active crater. Lightning can threaten people across the mountain, including hikers far below the summit. A storm may also develop while they are already crossing exposed ground.<br>div]:relative" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-playwire-inbody-desktop-2">

Etna’s Open Slopes Offer Little Cover<br>On Etna’s higher slopes, trees give way to expanses of volcanic rock and ash. A lone hiker can become one of the most prominent objects in the landscape, increasing the chance of a strike, according to Italy’s Civil Protection Department.<br>div]:relative" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-playwire-inbody-mobile-3">

The department says thunderclouds can produce lightning without rain directly overhead. Lightning may also strike more than a mile — or several kilometers — from the centre of a storm, allowing the danger to reach hikers before the rain does.<br>People who hear thunder in the mountains should leave summits and ridgelines for lower ground, according to the department. A building or vehicle offers the safest available shelter. Hikers should also avoid large metal structures, which...