<p>An American tourist was killed after being <a href="https://foxnews.com/category/us/disasters/lightning" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">struck by lightning</a> while hiking Sicily's Mount Etna, Europe's largest volcano, which was recently active, Italian firefighters said Monday.</p><p>The 29-year-old man from Kansas, whose name had not been released at the time of this reporting, was found at an altitude of 1,000 feet in the Rocca Capra area.</p><p>He was rescued by helicopter after he was struck Sunday night in a barren, exposed area. He was later pronounced dead by medical officials.</p><p><a href="https://foxnews.com/us/hiker-set-warm-spring-weather-found-dead-snowstorm-new-hampshire-mountains" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>HIKER WHO SET OUT IN WARM SPRING WEATHER FOUND DEAD AFTER SNOWSTORM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE MOUNTAINS</strong></a></p><p>Ash from the volcano forced the closure of Sicily's largest airport last week, <a href="https://foxnews.com/category/travel/general/travel-safety" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">impacting summer travelers</a> during the busy travel season.</p><p><a href="https://foxnews.com/travel/famous-landmarks-slash-visiting-hours-deadly-heat-wave-threatens-tourists" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>FAMOUS LANDMARKS SLASH VISITING HOURS AS DEADLY HEAT WAVE THREATENS TOURISTS</strong></a></p><p>Planes were forced to be re-routed to other airports on the island.</p><p>More people have died on Etna from <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/disasters" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lightning strikes</a> over recent decades than from volcanic activity, officials said. The last eruption-related fatalities were in 1987.</p><p><em>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</em></p>
