Tourists flee from Etna as the volcano spews glowing lava

Mount Etna, the volcano on the Italian island of Sicily, has become active again since Sunday evening.

The largest active volcano in Europe is spewing glowing lava and ash. Videos appearing on social media show tourists fleeing from the pyroclastic flow on the mountain. This is a sort of fiery avalanche of ash, gas, and rock caused by a collapse on the northern side of the southeastern crater, the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) explains. The eruption has intensified to a ‘fountain’, with molten lava being ejected from the crater. Above the Italian island, a black cloud of smoke and ash reaching a height of a kilometre can still be seen. The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Toulouse reports that the ash cloud above Etna has reached an altitude of 6,400 metres.

According to initial reports, the hot lava flowed into the remote Valle del Leone (‘Lion Valley’). This is still a long way from any inhabited areas, so for now there is no real danger to local residents and tourists. As a precaution, the warning level for flights has been raised to code red, but Catania International Airport remains open for the time being.

The Etna, which stands at around 3,350 metres high, erupts several times a year and is constantly monitored by experts. The last eruption was just over a month ago.

(FVDV – Source: AD/La Repubblica/Belga – Illustration: ©Unsplash)