| | | Thousands of tourists swarm active volcano, shocked when things end badly
Wed, February 19, 2025
Thousands of tourists swarm active volcano, shocked when things end badly
We all have different definitions of "fun". Some of us like to take a walk in nature, others like to head out to a local rink for some hockey (this is Canada, after all).
But for others, "fun" entails visiting a restricted area to venture near the red-hot lava flow of an active volcano.
Thousands seem to like this idea, because in recent days, the east coast of Sicily has been flooded with tourists and their cars, which are blocking the roads and preventing emergency vehicles from getting to the volcano.
Mount Etna is the most active stratovolcano on the planet. Its first eruption of 2025 is happening now, and it ramped up over the weekend, resulting in large lava flows that sliced through the snowpack.
The dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation has prompted local officials to forbid visitors from getting within 500 metres of the lava, but that directive appears to be largely ignored.
Tourists preventing emergency vehicle access Local media reports that hordes of tourists, many of them unprepared for Mount Etna's dangerous terrain and environment, are hiking and skiing on the snowpack, shockingly close to the fiery lava.
In a Sunday Facebook post, Salvo Cocina, Sicily’s head of regional civil protection, called the influx of tourists "wild" and "extremely dangerous."
yahoo.com |
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