Italy's Etna Volcano spews ash, lava again

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - The Etna Volcano in southern Italy once again spewed ash and lava from Wednesday night to Thursday morning hours after its volcanic activity in recent weeks, local media reported on Thursday.

The crater, Voragine, where volcanic eruptions have been experienced in recent days, started to spew ash and lava once again at night, local sources told Anadolu.

Volcanic eruptions in the crater continued until the early hours of the morning, they mentioned.

Due to the volcanic eruptions in Etna, some planes that were supposed to land at Fontanarossa Airport in Catania were diverted to nearby Palermo and some flights were delayed, Italian media reported.

However, the airport was not closed to air traffic despite Etna's activity, it added.

- Etna's height above sea level changes

The Etna Observatory affiliated to the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) further noted that Etna, which has not had any eruption since 2021, has increased its height above sea level as a result of volcanic activities in the Voragine crater since the last week of June.

It was stated that the height of the Voragine crater, which frequently spewed ash and lava in Etna in recent days, reached 3,369 meters due to the accumulated lava and surpassed the 3,347-meter-high (nearly 2.1 miles) southeast crater, one of the most active craters of the volcano.

It was determined that the level of the crater increased especially in the measurements made after the intense volcanic activities on July 5-7.

Etna Volcano, where volcanic activities such as ash, lava spewing, lava flow and tremors have been frequently observed in recent weeks, is the highest active volcano on the continent.

*Writing by Merve Berker