Europe’s most active volcano, Mount Etna, erupted on Monday, sending colossal plumes of ash and smoke miles into the sky and creating dramatic lava fountains. While the fiery spectacle caused some tourists to flee for safety, Italian officials were quick to assure that the activity posed no significant danger to the local population.
The eruption, the latest in a series of over 15 recorded this year per a news report, began in the early morning hours and rapidly intensified. Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported “explosions of increasing intensity” that by noon had transformed into a “lava fountain,” according to CBS News. This activity, which also involved a pyroclastic flow—described as an “avalanche of burning ash, rock, and gas” per a news report—was caused by a partial collapse of the volcano’s southeast crater, sending material crashing down the slopes.
Videos circulated online captured the dramatic scene, showing people running as smoke billowed from the side of the towering stratovolcano. According to CBS News, a specific video showed tourists hurrying along a path as smoke engulfed the distance behind them. Authorities swiftly cordoned off the summit area as a precaution, restricting access for tour groups. Despite the visual intensity, Sicily’s President, Renato Schifani, confirmed that lava flows did not breach Mount Etna’s natural containment areas, assuring that the event posed “no danger to the population.”
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Toulouse, which monitors aviation risks, initially issued a red aviation warning. This warning was later downgraded to orange as the ash cloud emission ended by the afternoon, per a news report. The plume itself reached an estimated height of 21,000 feet. Additionally, a news report noted light ashfall over the Piano Vetore area, a localized impact that residents are accustomed to. Locals in towns and villages on Etna’s flanks widely felt tremors from the eruption, but the overall assessment was that the event caused “no major problems otherwise,” according to CBS News.
Bloomberg reported that this latest eruption was the most intense since 2021, according to Stefano Branca, head of the Etna observatory. However, Branca added that “this type of volcanic activity poses a limited danger to the nearby areas and is in line with the activity typically exhibited by Etna in recent years,” as reported by Bloomberg. Per Bloomberg and NBC News, no casualties were reported, and flight operations at Catania airport continued with no immediate interruptions, despite the initial alert level being raised.
