Mount Etna eruption live: Huge volcanic blast in Italy sends tourists fleeing

Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL, said today’s eruption at Mount Etna was “nothing unusual” for the popular volcano.

“Although this can appear terrifying to tourists visiting the volcano, this activity is nothing unusual for Mount Etna, which is almost continually active and has these sorts of eruptions every year or two,” he told The Independent.

Prof McGuire said the ash and volcanic gas spewing from the crater can cause respiratory issues, but most likely only near the summit.

“If the eruption grows and there is heavier ash fall further away, then face masks can deal with the worst of the ash,” he said.

“There is a danger from falling blocks and volcanic ‘bombs’ (semi-molten fragments), but only close to the erupting crater. It goes without saying that this should be avoided.”

While ash fall can sometimes cause Catania’s airport to close, that is only temporary.

“The biggest problems are caused by lava flows that erupt on the volcano’s flanks, which can be very destructive. So far, this does not seem to be happening during this eruption,” he said.

We have a statement from the president of the Sicilian region, Renato Schifani.

“I am following with the utmost attention, through the head of our Civil Protection, the evolution of the situation on Etna, Mr Schifani says.

“Director Cocina has been in constant contact, since the early hours of this morning, with the prefect of Catania and with the heads of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Etna.

“The partial collapse of the South-East crater, which generated an imposing eruptive cloud several kilometers high and a pyroclastic flow, represents a phenomenon that we are following with extreme caution.

“At the moment, from the first surveys, the material has not exceeded the edge of the Valle del Leone and, as they assure me, there is no danger for the population.”

Here are some more pictures from today’s eruption of Mount Etna.

Mount Etna is considered the most active volcano in Europe, and the most active stratovolcano in the world (a stratovolcano is what most people consider a volcano, namely a conical formation, often with a central crater, formed by layer upon layer of lava from repeated eruptions).

So it is no wonder that Mount Etna has erupted countless times in the thousands of years it has been documented.

But how many times has it erupted this year?

The short answer: A lot; and continually.

The Global Volcanism Program records “continued activity” at Mount Etna consistently from mid-February, when there was a major eruption.

On 23 April and 13 May, there were notable additional eruptions, with lava fountains and ash plumes observed.

The volcano is one of the world’s most active, having erupted as recently as February this year when it spewed hot ash and lava. This time around, a pyroclastic flow of hot rock, ash, and gas was seen falling around 11.30am, while a fountain of lava continues to emit from its southeast crater.

Mount Etna sits in a national park near the port city of Catania, filled with a wealth of Baroque architecture and popular with those looking to head off to the volcano’s foothills, covered with ash hills lava rocks on guided hikes.

The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Toulouse has issued a red aviation warning after Mount Etna’s eruption

Below we have footage from one of the last time’s Mount Etna erupted, in February this year. Mount Etna is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, sometimes erupting multiple times in a week.

The eruption seen below is from the volcano’s south-east crater, called Bocca Nuova, meaning “new mouth”.

A river of lava stretching some three kilometres was found flowing out of the crater, at an altitude of 3,000m.

Mount Etna has erupted, sending a kilometres-high plume of ash into the sky and sending tourists fleeing from the popular World Heritage area.

Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said the eruption began around 3.50am local time (2.50am BST), following volcanic tremors which began around midnight local time.

The institute said eruption activity has continued since then with “increasing intensity” and was currently “almost continuous”.

Mount Etna, on the east coast of Sicily, between the cities of Messina and Catania, is one of the world’s most active volcanoes

We have a statement from the local mayor, Enrico Tarantino, on the eruption of Mount Etna.

The mayor of Catania in Corriere della Sera said: “I spoke to the INGV ( Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology), everything is normal and under control.

“There is no criticality, it is a phenomenon that repeats itself and, in light of the monitoring of the volcano, was already expected. So much so that access to the summit areas had been prevented. It is our mountain, which we have now begun to know in all its manifestations.”

A pyroclastic flow – a powerful avalanche of hot rock, ash, and gas – was witnessed on Mount Etna surveillance cameras at around 11:30am local time, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

This was “probably produced by a collapse of material from the northern flank of the South-East Crater”, according to a statement from the institute.

The hot pyroclastic material does not appear to have crossed the edge of the Valle del Leone, it said.

However, the explosive activity from the Southeast Crater has become a lava fountain, the institute said.