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SICILY

Two die and 700 evacuated in Sicily wildfires

Two people have died and 700 tourists were evacuated from their hotel overnight following wildfires in northern Sicily, officials and Italian media reports said.

Published: 23 September 2023 10:42 CEST
Two die and 700 evacuated in Sicily wildfires
A burnt vehicle in the torched Tindari South Service area gas station, on the Messina - Palermo. (Photo by Giovanni ISOLINO / AFP)

A 42-year-old woman died after trying to save her horses in Cefalu, east of Palermo, the local civil protection agency said late on Friday evening.

She was with her father and brothers but is believed to have become disorientated by the heat and smoke and slipped into a gully, it said.

A 68-year-old man also died after fleeing his burning home near Balestrate, west of Palermo, the ANSA news agency said Saturday.

The estimated 700 guests from the Hotel Costa Verde near Cefalu were evacuated to a local sports hall late Friday as fires approached, although they returned around 2am after the danger passed, ANSA said.

Schools were also closed near Palermo and most of Sicily remained on red alert on Friday for wildfires fuelled by strong winds and unusually high temperatures.

Temperatures in many parts of Sicily were around 34 degrees on Friday, well above the seasonal average.

Firefighters reported a busy night across the whole of northern Sicily, although relief was expected from rain forecast later Saturday, which is due to last several days.

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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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