Mount Etna in Italy has erupted and sent a 7-mile-high ash cloud into the sky over eastern Sicily.
Etna – Europe’s tallest volcano and one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes on the continent – is once again fully awake.
As the country’s National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology confirmed on Monday, the volcano began spewing lava and ash, whereas lava was seen pouring down the mountain’s southeast slope.
While the eruption resulted in a giant, 7.5-mile-high ash cloud that covered nearby regions and cities in debris, no immediate reports of casualties or damage to properties were reported.
Following the eruption, the Vincenzo Bellini international airport which lies in Catania has been shut down until further notice.
Meanwhile, the authorities confirmed on Monday afternoon that the volcano had already stopped spewing lava.
Mount Etna has a long history of powerful eruptions responsible for terrorizing the region.
Back in 1992, lava kept flowing from the crater for months, prompting the officials to build a wall to redirect its flow from nearby villages.
Previously, in 1983, the government resorted to the use of dynamite to divert lava that was closing in on nearby settlements.
The volcano’s worst recorded eruption, however, took place in 1669 when lava crossed the walls of Catania, Sicily’s biggest settlement, and swathed a large portion of the city.
During the 4-month-long eruption, at least ten villages were destroyed and countless farmlands were annihilated.
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