Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, is erupting, spewing ash at Catania, the largest city in eastern Sicily, and forcing the suspension of flights at that city’s airport
May 21, 2023 9:21 am ET
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ROME – Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, erupted on Sunday, spewing ash over Catania, the largest city in eastern Sicily, and forcing a halt to flights at that city’s airport.
Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), which closely monitors Mount Etna with instruments on the slopes, found that cloud cover on a rainy day obscured views of the eruption, which often results in a spectacular sight of flaming lava, when the volcano is not active rare eruptions.
The institute said ash fell on Catania and at least one town on the inhabited slopes of Mount Etna. No injuries were reported.
Flight operations were temporarily suspended due to the ash rain, Catania Airport announced.
INGV stated that monitoring had seen evidence of an increase in tremor activity over the past few days.
According to the Italian news agency ANSA, people in the towns of Adrano and Biancavilla heard loud popping noises from the volcano on Sunday.
Italy’s national civil protection agency issued a warning on Thursday that there could be “sudden” fluctuations in Etna activity given the increase in volcanic activity.
In early 2021, an eruption from the volcano lasted several weeks.