Idiot Tourists Are Skiing on an Erupting Volcano in Italy

One of Europe’s most active volcanoes started erupting on February 8. Like extremely stupid moths to a very deadly flame, tourists have been flocking to the volcano ever since.

These people don’t just want to snap pictures of the volcano, either. They’re trying to get selfies with it from so close up that they’re putting themselves in mortal danger.

Mount Etna, located on the east coast of Sicily in Italy, has been drawing a wide variety of stupid tourists. That includes hikers, skiers, photographers, and run-of-the-mill morons who care more about scoring social media points than being consumed by molten lava.

It’s not like local officials haven’t tried stopping them, either. The tourists simply do not care, even if their collective mad rush to get a peek at this sweet glowing goo is putting them in danger and is even hindering the process of helping them should they get injured.

Mount Etna is Erupting and Tourists Keep Getting Too Close for Selfies

The influx of tourists trying to catch a glimpse of the volcano is clogging local streets with improperly parked cars. This causes a lot of congestion on the relatively small and old Italian streets, which makes it difficult for emergency vehicles to navigate should they need to rescue a tourist being consumed by molten lava.

Even people who maintain a “safe” distance from the lava are still at risk, according to local authorities. They have implemented strict measures like prohibiting access to areas near the lava flow. There are videos all over the internet of people routinely breaking those barriers just because they can.

Not only are they at threat of being hit by a random glob of lava from the natural ebbs and flows of the eruption, but sometimes when lava meets snow the result is an explosive eruption. That eruption is caused by rapid steam buildup that can send rocks and molten lava flying through the air.

These sudden eruptions are unpredictable but always dangerous. Especially to dimwitted tourists who got close enough to the lava to snap a selfie and wound up being reduced to a smoldering skeleton holding an iPhone.