The night Etna spat fire and fury

AFTER more than a month of mini-eruptions, Mount Etna finally blew its top properly yesterday for the first time in two years.

The spectacular explosion sent a 1,000C plume of fire, smoke and volcanic gases shooting miles into the starry sky in a sight that was both beautiful and terrifying.

In the main picture, captured by merging five separate images in sequence, bolts of lightning dance around the top of the smoke chimney in a so-called ‘dirty thunderstorm’ caused by tiny fragments of rock and volcanic ash rubbing together to create static electricity.

Mount Etna, which had not erupted with such force since 2013, dominates the Italian island of Sicily and at 10,922 feet is Europe’s highest active volcano. Yesterday’s fiery fountain exploded from the Voragine crater, one of five within the summit.

The build-up started around a month ago with explosions inside the crater that were too small to reach the rim.

Mount Etna has been erupting regularly for thousands of years. The Roman poet Virgil called its eruptions a ‘roar of frightful rain’.

There she blows: Mount Etna erupts in a huge fountain of fire, smoke and hot gases soaring miles into the sky

Awesome: The fiery plume billows out in a giant ball