Volcano erupts, tourists flock! “Wild” tourism by the lava flows

Tourists flocking to Italy to witness the “spectacular” eruptions at Mount Etna in Sicily ignored warnings from local authorities. Tourists racing to take photos and videos right next to the lava flow face serious dangers. Local officials revealed that thousands of tourists flocked to Mount Etna to witness the “spectacular” eruptions. However, it was reported that some people closing streets prevent rescue services from reaching those in need of help. Sicily’s regional civil defense chief Salvo Cocina described the recent tourism at Etna as “wild” and “extremely dangerous,” warning that day-trippers attracted to extraordinary views are blocking rescue vehicles by parking their cars in narrow streets. Cocina, in a Facebook post on Sunday, said that the flow of people has created a “wild scene” with cars clogging narrow streets, traffic coming to a standstill, and rescue vehicles unable to pass. He added, “As darkness falls, the situation becomes extremely dangerous, the risks of falling increase and people are buried in the dark.” However, this warning seems to have been ignored. Eight people, including two children, got lost during a tour on Monday and were only found several hours later, prompting a call to the fire department. On Sunday, a 48-year-old man broke his leg in a fall, and four people had gone missing the previous night. Firefighters were brought in to help the locals and regulate the flow of tourists and day-trippers from Sicily and beyond who filled overcrowded streets, while the mayors of towns on the slopes of the volcano ordered visitors to stay at least 500 meters away from the lava. However, this directive was ignored. Hundreds of videos featuring day-trippers in the region went viral over the weekend. In one video, visitors appeared just a few centimeters away from snow. In a TikTok clip, several tourists were seen near a lava flow slowly descending down a snowy slope and melting snow to form a stream. Carlo Caputo, the Mayor of the nearby town of Belpasso, stated, “I have seen many people dangerously approaching the front, even skiing, in photographs and videos. While visually striking, this situation exposes them to serious risks because the lava in contact with snow can instantly evaporate it and violently disintegrate it or throw rocks with the released thermal energy.” Italy, which hosts the most UNESCO heritage sites in the world, has begun to grow weary of excessive tourism incidents. Last month, the mayor of Roccaraso, a popular ski resort in Italy, did not allow day-trippers to enter the town after more than 10,000 visitors from Naples and the surrounding Campania region, enticed by a TikTok star and cheap tickets, invaded the town on 260 buses. He even hinted at calling the army into action to deal with an unprecedented tourist invasion.