In a bizarre series of events, a US man hailing from Kansas fell to his death after being struck by lightning during his trip to Italy. The American tourist met one of the most unlikely ends during his trip, perishing in a lightning strike while touring the largest volcano in Europe.
Kansas man died in Italy after being struck by lightning while hiking in restricted area
According to Italian firefighters who answered a distress call in Sicily, a 29-year-old Kansas man succumbed to his death after getting hit by lightning (via AP News). The first responders revealed that the tourist in question was hiking Mount Etna during a period of intense activity when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Following the accident on Sunday evening, firefighters rescued the adventurer from the Rocca Capra area with the help of helicopters. He was eventually rushed to Catania’s Cannizzaro Hospital and arrived at the establishment already in cardiac arrest, as per local outlet Catania Today. Despite their best attempts, which involved on-site emergency medical services performing CPR on him, the man ended up passing away, with officials confirming his demise at around 9:30 p.m.
Before the Kansas man’s death from an unlucky lightning strike, Italian authorities had closed off multiple areas of Mount Etna due to an unusually heavy amount of volcanic activity. The natural development also forced the closure of the nearby Catania airport, with the resulting ash significantly reducing visibility for airborne activity in the region.
An increase in lightning strikes in the region exacerbated the effects of Mount Etna’s prolonged eruptions. According to the Italian National Institute of Health, the country experiences a whopping 1.6 million lightning strikes on average during July and August each year.
At the time of writing, authorities have not revealed the identity of the US tourist in question.
