Mount Etna, the tallest and most active volcano in Europe, erupted on Monday on the Italian island of Sicily.
Dramatic video footage shared on social media showed tourists fleeing down the side of the mountain as a thick volcanic cloud intensified above them.
Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (IGNV) said in a statement that the eruption began at 3:50 am local time on 2 June following volcanic tremors that started at around 10:00 pm on 1 June.
Volcanologists added that Mount Etna has been experiencing strombolian explosions of ‘growing intensity’. These explosions typically mean a relatively mild kind of eruption.
A pyroclastic flow - an avalanche of hot rock, ash and gas - was seen on surveillance cameras at around 11:30 am local time. It was “probably produced by a collapse of material from the northern flank of the South-East Crater”, IGNV said.
This flow spread northeast but doesn’t appear to have crossed the edge of the Valle del Leone, a valley located at the foot of the summit craters on Mount Etna.
Explosive activity from the southeast crater generated three main lava flows: one heading south, one heading east and one heading north. All of these flows are now in a cooling phase. IGNV has said the ash cloud emission now appears to have ended.
Mount Etna has a history of frequent eruptions dating back 3,000 years. The last major eruption in February sent a 3-kilometre river of lava flowing out of a crater called Bocca Nuova, meaning “new mouth”.
That eruption caused some minor disruption to travel, with parts of Catania airport closed due to reduced visibility.
Will flights be affected by the eruption and is Catania airport closed?
Catania airport stands at the foot of Mount Etna, giving departing and arriving passengers a spectacular view of the volcano.
Catania–Fontanarossa Airport, also known as Vincenzo Bellini Airport, on the island's east coast, is Sicily's most popular airport with international tourists.
At first, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Toulouse, France, one of nine global centres monitoring aviation risks, issued a red aviation warning. This was then downgraded to an orange warning as the ash cloud drifted northwest and dissipated.
All four of Sicily's airports, Catania–Fontanarossa (CTA), Comiso (CIY), Falcone–Borsellino (PMO), and Vincenzo Florio (TPS), remain fully operational and are continuing with flights as normal. There were just a few very minor delays at Catania Airport on Monday morning.
You can find updated information on arrivals and departures on the Catania Airport website.
Can I claim compensation if my flight is disrupted?
If flights at Catania Airport are disrupted, airlines are required to offer you another flight or a refund if a flight is cancelled or delayed by more than three hours.
However, this is only when they could have prevented the disruption. In the case of a volcanic eruption, it is not their fault.
However, in most cases, airlines will still endeavour to get passengers to their final destination.
It's always wise to have travel insurance, as you may be able to claim back for unexpected expenses.
Is it safe to visit Sicily while Mount Etna is erupting?
Yes, it is still safe to travel to Sicily, even when Mount Etna is erupting.
Local authorities and residents are used to dealing with Mount Etna eruptions. For the last five years, it has erupted multiple times a year, and tourism to Sicily has been on the rise.
Despite frequent eruptions, lava has not reached nearby towns since the 1800s. Etna has more than 200 craters, and when one of these does erupt, black volcanic ash lands in the city of Catania at its foot and the many surrounding towns and villages.
This is inconvenient for residents, but usually not a problem for visitors. Some people even purposefully climb the volcano to see an eruption, though authorities urge tourists to keep a safe distance.
Enrico Trantino, mayor of Catania, said everything was “normal and under control”.
He told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that, due to monitoring from IGNV, the summit area had already been closed prior to the eruption.
