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VOLCANO

WATCH: Italy’s Etna spews ash, leaving Catania airport closed

Mount Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes, belched smoke and ashes in a new eruption on Sunday, forcing the closure of the nearby airport in Catania, Sicily.

Published: 21 May 2023 19:22 CEST
WATCH: Italy's Etna spews ash, leaving Catania airport closed
Plumes of smoke from the Etna volcano in Sicily, on September 15, 2018. The active volcano regularly covers surrounding areas in ash. (File photo by Valery HACHE / AFP)

“Due to the eruptive activity of Etna and copious amounts of volcanic ash on the airport surfaces, flight operations are suspended until safety conditions are restored,” Catania airport said in a statement.

Loud rumbles could be heard in the region from early Sunday, reported newspaper Repubblica.

But heavy cloud around the volcano’s summit made it impossible to see the eruptions, the National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology said.

Still, local residents captured images and video showing smoke-filled skies and vehicles covered in silvery volcanic ash, which were shared widely by Italian news media.

Some videos showed what looked like black volcanic stones raining from the sky amid the eruption.

At 3,324 metres (nearly 11,000 feet), Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe and has erupted frequently in the past 500,000 years.

Around 10 million passengers last year transited through Catania International Airport, which services the eastern part of Sicily, one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations.

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VOLCANO

IN PICTURES: Sicily’s Mount Etna puffs ‘smoke rings’ in rare show

Near-perfect circles of gas emerged from Mount Etna in a rare display captured on camera by residents and tourists over the weekend.

Published: 8 April 2024 09:46 CEST
IN PICTURES: Sicily's Mount Etna puffs 'smoke rings' in rare show

A new crater opened on the summit of Europe’s largest active volcano leading to an unusual display of ‘smoke rings’, with thousands recorded in recent days, reported La Repubblica.

Boris Behncke, researcher at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Catania, said they were called “volcanic vortex rings”, rings of volcanic gas emitted by Etna “more than any other volcano on earth”.

The rare phenomenon occurs only in very specific conditions generated by a constant release of gas and vapours.

The volcano has emitted thousands of spectacular rings since last Tuesday, which has led local media to dub it Lady of the Rings (or Signora degli Anelli in Italian). 

Experts have said the rings are harmless and aren’t necessarily a prelude to an imminent eruption.

A volcanic tremor and “about six summit explosive events” were recorded below the volcano’s southern crater on Sunday afternoon, INGV said.

Other major emissions of rings occurred in February 2000 and July 2023.

At 3,324 metres (nearly 11,000 feet), Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe and eruptions have been frequent over the past 500,000 years.

Last May, the volcano released large amounts of volcanic ash and smoke in the air, forcing local airport authorities to halt all flights to and from the nearby airport of Catania, a popular tourist destination in eastern Sicily.

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