An official update declared the ash cloud emission had ended by Monday afternoon (local time).
Officials said the volcanic eruption posed no danger. Source: AAP / AP / Giuseppe Distefano
Italy’s INGV National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said the spectacle on Europe’s most active volcano was caused when part of the southeast crater collapsed, resulting in hot lava flows.
According to Stefano Branca, an official from INGV in Catania, the danger zone was limited to the summit of Etna, which had been closed to tourists as a safety measure.
Etna is Europe’s most active volcano. Source: AAP / AP / Giuseppe Distefano
Sicily’s president, Renato Schifani, said lava flows emitted in the eruption had not passed the natural containment area, “and posed no danger to the population”.
Tremors from the eruption were widely felt in the towns and villages on Mount Etna’s flanks, Italian media reported.
Tremors from the eruption were widely felt in nearby towns and villages. Source: AAP / AP / Giuseppe Distefano
Video showed tourists running along a path on the flank of the vast volcano with smoke billowing some distance in the background.
