Etna: the amazing photos of the erupting volcano

In Sicily, the volcano Etna erupted on Sunday, May 21, spewing lava and black smoke. The entire area was covered in ash.

It is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is sure to be remembered. In Sicily, Mount Etna erupted on Sunday 21 May, forcing the closure of Catania Airport. Copious amounts of volcanic ash fell to the ground.

Pictures posted on social networks show lava projections and thick smoke rising from Etna. The Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology raises an “11 km eruptive plume”. Other videos show residents trying to clean the thick layer of ash covering everything.

Direct observation of the volcano was initially made difficult by the weather. On Sunday, experts in Catania described continuing “cloud cover” “in the volcano’s summit area”. Then “it was not possible to make volcanic observations via the video surveillance network,” but their measuring instruments recorded this volcanic phase.

Catania Airport said in a statement that “flight operations are suspended until security conditions are restored.” More specifically, the Italian daily newspaper Republica He says that departures have been banned, while arriving planes have been diverted to other airports.

Apart from projections of ash and lava, gurgling was heard in the area, especially in Adrano and Biancavilla. As the highest active volcano in Europe, Mount Etna, which rises to 3,324 metres, has erupted several times over the past 500,000 years.