ROME — Sicily's Mount Etna has erupted again with an intensity not seen since February 2021. The eruption has sent a cloud of ash, smoke and lapilli a few kilometres above Europe's largest active volcano.
Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) says the spectacle was caused when part of the southeast crater collapsed, resulting in hot lava flows. It was the 14th eruptive phase in recent months
Volcanic material, according to preliminary observations, have not crossed the the Valley of the Lion, the end point for tourist trips on the approach to the summit. INGV also noted in a social media post that "explosive activity from the Southeast Crater has become a lava fountain."
The volcanic tremor reached very high intensities during the eruptive peak, but according to experts, it has dropped again, signaling that the activity may be diminishing.
The national institute said changes in the volcano's activity were first recorded at 00:39 CET on Monday. The designation later changed to a "Strombolian" eruption.
Strombolian eruptians are usually characterized as discreet moderately explosive bursts which can eject pyroclasts hundreds of meters into the air.
"I am following with the utmost attention, through the head of our Civil Protection, the evolution of the situation on Etna. The partial collapse of the southeast crater is a phenomenon that we are following with extreme caution," said Renato Schifani, President of Sicily.
"At the moment, from the first surveys, the material would not have exceeded the rim of the Valley of the Lion and, as they assure me, there is no danger for the population," he added.
The head of the regional civil protection, Salvo Cocina, has recommended the utmost precaution to hikers in the vicinity of Mount Etna and urged them to avoid the volcano's summit area until further official notice, as risks of further eruptions and activity loom.
Catania airport, despite the Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation's (VONA) warnings, has remained operational. — Euronews
