Mount Etna has erupted in Sicily, spewing a huge column of smoke and ash into the sky above the Italian island.
Footage shared on social media showed people running for their lives down the mountainside of Europe’s largest and most active volcano, as a thick column of smoke intensified above them.
Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said in a widely reported statement that the volcano was experiencing strong strombolian explosions – a type of eruption – “of growing intensity”.
“Over the past few hours, the falling of a little thin ash has been flagged in the Piano Vetore area,” the statement said.
According to the Volcanic Discovery website, prior to the eruption there were volcanic tremors which began at around 10pm local time and reached their peak shortly before 1am.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Toulouse, one of nine such centres worldwide used to monitor aviation risks, warned that a volcanic ash plume had reached an altitude of around 6,400 metres.
A red aviation alert was issued in response to the eruption at Mount Etna.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Toulouse, which monitors aviation risks, said a volcanic ash plume had reached an altitude of around 6,400 metres.
Etna is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
It previously erupted on February 11, spewing hot ash and lava from the 3,400m volcano.
The spectacular sight attracted tourists who wanted to catch a glimpse of the eruption up close.
The volcano erupted in February this year
