Sicily
Etna spits lava and ash – Catania airport for the time being
Lava flows flow from Mount Etna from the southeast crater in Nicolosi. photo
© Salvatore Allegra/AP/dpa
Etna eruptions in Sicily are not uncommon. In the meantime, however, no more lava is coming out. The airport in Catania will remain closed until midday.
Mount Etna volcano on the Italian Mediterranean island Sicily spat lava and ash again. The National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) announced that a lava fountain developed on Monday night as a result of increased volcanic activity, which could also be observed from afar.
Heavy ash fall also developed. Flight operations at Catania Airport were therefore suspended until 1 p.m., according to a message from the airport at the foot of Mount Etna on the online platform X, formerly Twitter.
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 developed particularly at the south-east crater of Mount Etna, which is now cooling down again. Because on Monday morning, according to the INGV, no more lava came out – the lava flow stopped around 3:20 a.m. Local media reported loud thunder during the night.
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.