Tourists rush to Mount Etna as it erupts, alarming Italian guides

Spectacular images of lava flowing down the slopes of an erupting Mount Etna have drawn flocks of tourists to the Italian volcano – to the worry of local guides.

The tallest active volcano in Europe, Etna has been spewing ash and lava for days, forcing the closure of the nearby Catania airport, a key gateway for tourists visiting the island of Sicily.

Companies that organise nighttime hikes allowing participants to watch the eruption up close say they have been flooded with calls.

“They all want to come and see the lava flow, everyone is drawn to this unique beauty,” Daniele Perricelli, 41, a local guide, said on Wednesday.

Perricelli’s group, Guide Etna, takes a few dozen visitors up the volcano every evening – but is currently receiving about 300 requests a day, three times what it gets on an average summer day, he said.

Ernesto Maria Magri, another local guide, called it a “touristic eruption” that appeals to “many people” because it can be observed in relative safety.