Volcanic activity continues at Mount Etna in Italy

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - Mount Etna, located on the island of Sicily in Italy and positioned south of the Alps, erupted once more, releasing clouds of ash and streams of molten lava into the sky and down its slopes.

According to the Etna Observatory of the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the volcano's recently active crater, Voragine, began erupting ash and lava again on Monday night.

The INGV reported, Lava flows were observed on the slopes of the volcano due to the lava emitted from the Voragine crater, and the ash reached a height of approximately 6 kilometers (approximately 3.7 miles).

Local news reports also mentioned that ash fell on nearby settlements like Viagrande and Aci Castello.

Additionally, due to the volcanic activity at the Voragine crater, tour activities to points at and above 2,500 meters (approximately 8,200 feet) on Mount Etna have been temporarily suspended.

Earlier, the INGV reported that the height of the Voragine crater, which has frequently erupted ash and lava in recent days, reached 3,369 meters (approx. 11,000 ft) due to accumulated lava, making it the highest point of the volcano.

Mount Etna, standing around 3,300 meters (10,800 ft) high, has shown frequent volcanic activity since the beginning of July.

The volcano, which had a strong eruption of ash and lava in December 2023, had been quiet for the last six months.