Sicily
Etna volcano spits lava and ash – Catania airport closed for the time being
Lava flows flow from Mount Etna from the southeast crater in Nicolosi. photo
© Salvatore Allegra/AP/dpa
The Etna volcano on the Italian Mediterranean island of Sicily spat out lava and ash again on Monday night. The airport in Catania should remain closed until the evening. In the meantime, however, no more lava is coming out of the volcano.
Eruptions of the Etna volcano in Sicily are not uncommon. The National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) announced that a lava fountain developed during the night of Monday as a result of increased volcanic activity, which could also be seen from afar.
In addition, strong ash fall developed. Flight operations at Catania Airport were therefore suspended until 8 p.m., as the airport at the foot of Mount Etna announced on the online platform X, formerly Twitter. Initially, it was said that the airport could resume operations at 1 p.m.
So far no reported damage from Etna volcano
Videos on social media showed the glowing boulders being spat out of the volcano in the dark and slowly flowing down the mountain. According to the INGV a lava overflow that is now cooling again. Because on Monday morning, according to the INGV, no more lava came out – the lava ejection had already stopped at around 3:20 a.m. Local media reported loud thunder during the night.
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There were initially no reports of damage or injuries. Local residents reported on the Telegram platform that ash and dust were raining down locally. Already early Sunday evening there was rumbling on the largest active volcano in Europe, so that the Sicilian civil defense called for special caution early on.