Timelapse video has emerged showing the incredible moment Mount Etna erupted for the first time in two years.
The eruption caused a rare “dirty thunderstorm”, spewing ash into the Sicily skyline lit up by volcanic lightning.
The explosion took place on Thursday morning and lasted for around an hour.
The phenomenon occurs when tiny fragments of rock, ash and ice rub together to form static electricity.
Mount Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe, measuring at 3329m high and has been exploding for an estimated 2.5 million years. The huge plume was created in the Voragine crater, which was formed in the volcano's central crater in 1945.
It is the first time in two years there has been an eruption.
No injuries have been reported from the eruption.
