Tourists Told to Heed Warnings after Etna Eruption 

Volcanic steam rises from Mount Etna, as seen from Milo, Italy, June 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Volcanic steam rises from Mount Etna, as seen from Milo, Italy, June 2, 2025. (Reuters)
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Tourists Told to Heed Warnings after Etna Eruption 

Volcanic steam rises from Mount Etna, as seen from Milo, Italy, June 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Volcanic steam rises from Mount Etna, as seen from Milo, Italy, June 2, 2025. (Reuters)

Tourists have been told to check for warnings before climbing towards the summit of Italy's Mount Etna after an eruption sent hikers scurrying for safety.

Video footage from Monday's eruption showed dozens of people hurrying down a path as a large plume of ash rose behind them from the volcano on the eastern side of the island of Sicily.

Salvo Cocina, the head of Sicily's Civil Protection Department, said dozens of hikers had ventured on to Etna despite a warning issued early on Monday morning after initial signs of increased activity on Europe's largest active volcano.

"There was a big explosion and a crater collapsed but luckily it fell into a deserted area," he told Reuters on Tuesday.

"It's very hard to block access, you can't fence it off," he added.

Cocina said those on the mountain on Monday, who had climbed to a height of some 2,700 meters, appeared to be properly equipped and he acknowledged the need to balance safety concerns with the desire of tourists to enjoy the views.

Nobody was injured in Monday's eruption and the alert for volcanic activity had been downgraded to the more standard "yellow" level on Tuesday.



Elderly Man Dies as Wildfires Rage in Türkiye, Forcing Evacuations and Road Closures

A drone view shows burnt trees and destroyed houses in the aftermath of a wildfire in Seferihisar near Izmir, Türkiye, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Ufuk Erdem
A drone view shows burnt trees and destroyed houses in the aftermath of a wildfire in Seferihisar near Izmir, Türkiye, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Ufuk Erdem
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Elderly Man Dies as Wildfires Rage in Türkiye, Forcing Evacuations and Road Closures

A drone view shows burnt trees and destroyed houses in the aftermath of a wildfire in Seferihisar near Izmir, Türkiye, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Ufuk Erdem
A drone view shows burnt trees and destroyed houses in the aftermath of a wildfire in Seferihisar near Izmir, Türkiye, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Ufuk Erdem

Firefighters on Thursday discovered the body of an elderly man after extinguishing a wildfire near a village in western Türkiye, while crews elsewhere continued to battle another blaze that closed a highway and forced some residents to be evacuated from their homes.

The 81-year-old-man died from smoke inhalation in a village near the town of Odemis, Suleyman Elban, the governor for Izmir province, said. His death marks the first fatality in a series of wildfires across the country that have forced thousands to flee.

A total of 37 other villagers were safely evacuated by security forces and emergency teams, Elban said, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters, supported by aircraft and helicopters, were deployed to extinguish a wildfire blazing in the Aegean coastal town of Cesme, a tourism hotspot some 192 kilometers (120 miles) west of Odemis.

That wildfire, which began on Wednesday, forced the evacuation of three neighborhoods and closed roads. Television footage of the blaze showed flames burning through dried vegetation on both sides of a road.

Elban said the wildfires in Izmir province are believed to have been sparked by electrical lines, which ignited dry grass and spread rapidly due to wind.

In the past week, Türkiye has battled hundreds of fires across the country that were fueled by fierce winds, scorching heat and low humidity.

The fires — most of which were brought under control — damaged or destroyed around 200 homes, the majority in İzmir, the Interior Ministry said. Dozens of barns were also destroyed.

As firefighting crews battled the blazes, Türkiye's parliament adopted the country’s first climate law late Wednesday, in a move aimed at reaching net-zero emissions by 2053.

The legislation includes measures to establish a carbon market board to oversee efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emission. It also imposes fines on companies that fail to comply with the requirements.

The U.K.-based environmental advocacy group ClientEarth on Thursday welcomed the law’s symbolic importance but said it has several shortcomings.

“The law lacks ambitious, science-based targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the medium-term and offers no commitment to phasing out fossil fuels,” the group said.