Share Story
ROME — huge plume of ash, gas and rock spewed forth Monday from Italy's Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, after a portion of its southeastern crater likely collapsed, authorities said. Images showed a massive grey cloud billow forth from the volcano on the island of Sicily, beginning about 11:24 am local time , according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology [INGV]. Surveillance cameras showed "a pyroclastic flow probably produced by a collapse of material from the northern flank of the Southeast Crater", the agency said. A pyroclastic flow occurs when volcanic rock, ash and hot gasses surge from volcanos. They are extremely dangerous. The explosive activity "had transitioned to a lava fountain", INGV said, with the plume of ash expected to dissipate towards the southwest. A red alert issued for aviation authorities said the height of the volcanic cloud was estimated at 6.5 kilometres . The nearby Catania airport was still in operation.
{{articles_filter_1746[0]?.section_name}}