A 29-year-old American tourist from Kansas was killed by a lightning strike while hiking Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy, firefighters said Monday.

The man was struck Sunday evening in an exposed area of the volcano at about 4,600 feet and was rescued by helicopter before being pronounced dead by medical personnel.

Authorities have closed some areas of Mount Etna to hikers because of the volcano’s recent activity, although it was unclear whether the man was in a restricted area.

The volcano’s activity recently forced the closure of nearby Catania airport for most of last week, NBC News has reported.

Officials said lightning strikes have caused more deaths on Mount Etna in recent decades than volcanic activity, with the last eruption-related deaths occurring in 1987.