Mount Etna spews smoke and ash during volcanic activity in Sicily, Italy, on April 15, when the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology-Etna Observatory reported a new Strombolian activity in the South-East crater. A massive eruption Monday sent smoke, ash and lava into the air, collapsing the South-East crater. File Photo by Orietta Scardino/EPA-EFE
Italy’s Mount Etna on the island of Sicily erupted Monday spewing ash and hot lava that sent tourists, who were summiting the mountain, fleeing. The massive eruption also collapsed the volcano’s southeast crater.
The 10,925-foot mountain is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Monday’s eruption is the largest since 2014, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Observatory, which noted “explosions of increasing intensity” that were “almost continuous.”
The observatory shared video on its Facebook page, showing the large eruption and collapse of Etna’s southeast crater.
“An interdisciplinary group of researchers from the PRIN-Volando project, among which INGV staff were present sends us a video of the pyroclastic flow that happened recently,” INGV wrote in a post.
INGV Vulcani later wrote that “the Southeast Crater has become a lava fountain,” as the group revealed infrared images of lava flowing down the mountain.
The observatory said it first recorded changes in the mountain as volcanic tremors hit at 11:39 p.m., local time, before confirming there was a “Strombolian” eruption, which included intermittent explosions.
Etna is the most active volcano in Europe and the most active stratovolcano — a conical mountain with a central crater — in the world.
Mount Etna erupts at least once every year with its last significant eruption in 2024 and before that in 2023, when flights near Sicily were grounded. Air travel on Monday was not impacted, but tourists summiting the mountain were forced to flee to safety.
Monday’s eruption is posing no danger to the island’s population, according to officials.
“Over the past few hours, the falling of a little thin ash has been flagged in the Piano Vetore area,” INGV said, as the observatory announced that the eruption is over.
