Tourists flee Etna eruption

Tourists fled from Sicily’s Mount Etna yesterday after it erupted, sending dense clouds of ash and gas miles into the sky.

- RACHEL CLUN, JOE MIDDLETON

Dozens of people were seen scrambling down Europe’s largest active volcano after it was shaken by tremors that were widely felt in surrounding towns and villages.

Billowing clouds were visible from some distance, with images showing the eruption visible from the Ancient Theatre of Taormina, about 45km (28 miles) away.

However, the eruption was confined to the summit and did not threaten any visitor zones or local towns, officials said.

It began in the early hours yesterday following volcanic tremors, and Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said eruption activity has continued since then with “increasing intensity” and was “almost continuous”, with the potential to escalate further.

But Sicilian officials and volcanic experts reassured locals and tourists alike that the closely monitored eruption posed no danger to those on the Mediterranean island.