Flights were cancelled as Europe’s most active volcano erupted, sending ash falling onto the airport. Mount Etna sent flames and ash soaring into the air when it began erupting yesterday (Sunday), causing chaos in Catania, eastern Sicily’s largest city.
All aircraft were grounded and those incoming were diverted at the city’s airport. Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), which closely monitors Etna with instrumentation on the slopes, noted that cloud cover on a rainy day was impeding views of the eruption, which often serves up a spectacular display of flaming lava during the volcano’s not infrequent eruptions.
The institute said that ash had fallen on Catania and at least one town on Mount Etna’s inhabited slopes. No injuries were reported.
Catania airport said that due to ashfall, flight operations were temporarily suspended. The INGV indicated that monitoring had recorded evidence of a stepping up in tremor activity in recent days. People in the towns of Adrano and Biancavilla reported hearing loud booms emanating from the volcano on Sunday, the Italian news agency ANSA said.
Italy’s national Civil Protection Agency had noted on Thursday in an alert that in view of increased volcanic activity, “sudden” variations of Etna’s activity could occur. In early 2021, an eruption of the volcano lasted several weeks.
Italy was last week dealing with extensive flooding with 13 known to have died. Intense rainfall, two weeks after another downpour – led to two dozen rivers and tributaries bursting their banks.
The force of water sent torrents of mud tearing through entire towns in Emilia-Romagna, flooding storefronts and basements.
More than 10,000 people fled their homes, some plucked from rooftops or balconies by rescue helicopters and others ferried out on dinghies.
