Mount Etna bursts into life: Spewing lava and ash 5,000m high
Mount Etna, Europe’s biggest volcano, has erupted, spewing lava down the sides of the mountain on the southern Italian island of Sicily.
A huge column of hot ash rose high into the sky on the Mediterranean island yesterday as the highest active volcano in the continent rumbled back to life.
The eruption did not interrupt flights although officials did hold a crisis meeting at the nearby Catania Airport.
The Catania Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology said the volcano sent out a column of ash up to 5,000m above sea level and that lava was seen flowing from a new crater on the southeast side of the summit.
The 3,295m peak regularly awakens to spew lava and ash, eruptions that sometimes last for days at a time and can force the closure of Catania Airport.
Etna erupted several times last year, but many of them were short-lived.
In July, bemused Sicilians were quick to blame the volcano after thousands noticed that their clocks were running 15 minutes fast.
The fast forward time keeping affected a wide spectrum of digital clocks and watches - from computers through to alarm clocks.
It was spotted when large numbers of locals started turning up for work early, and a Facebook page was organised for those involved to compare notes.
As well as Etna’s volcanic activity, users blamed aliens, poltergeists, solar explosions and electrical disturbances caused by underwater cables.