Watch: Skiers glide by flowing lava as Mount Etna erupts
As Italy's Mount Etna continued to erupt, three daredevil skiers were captured skiing down the snowy slopes.
Video footage shows the skiers coming down the slopes with glowing, molten lava flowing in the background. One skier was also captured celebrating the feat after he propels through the snow.
It was not clear who the skiers were or why they undertook such a dangerous expedition. Storyful reported the skiers went to the crater on the night of Feb. 11.
Mount Etna tour guide Dario Teri, meanwhile, told Storyful that Etna is one of the few volcanoes where people can ski "near a lava field." However, the Italian Civil Protection Agency has urged the public to avoid the dangerous lava-flow zone, per local media.
Watch the footage here:
A new eruption in Mount Etna began on Feb. 6 in the west part of the Southeast Crater, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Associated Press reported the eruption to be Mount Etna’s first in 2025.
A few days later, a "fissure opened up at the base of the Bocca Nuova Crater, (meaning 'new mouth') that produced a lava flow" after which "a strong explosive activity at the summit craters" on Feb. 12 sent plumes of ash and lava into the air, the agency said.
Euro News reported Monday a nearly 2-mile river of lava is flowing out of the crater, which is at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet and that all hiking activities have been banned near the volcano. The media outlet previously reported that visitors from all over the world hiked Mount Etna over the weekend to get a close-up of the volcanic eruption prompting authorities to issue warnings and advisories.
Where is Mount Etna?
Europe’s largest and most active volcano, Mount Etna is located on the eastern coast of Sicily, Italy, in the province of Catania, according to USGS. The active stratovolcano is known for its frequent and persistent eruptions and volcanic activity in the region can range from explosive eruptions to lava flows and ash emissions, USGS says.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.