Major Mount Etna eruption in Sicily sends tourists fleeing in panic
Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said in a statement that the volcano was experiencing explosions 'of growing intensity' and that eruption activity was currently "almost continuous".
'Over the past few hours, the falling of thin ash has been flagged in the Piano Vetore area [south of the volcano],' the statement added.
'From a seismic point of view, the values of the tremor amplitude are currently high with a tendency to increase further,' INGV noted.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Toulouse, one of nine centres used to monitor aviation risks around the world, warned that Mount Etna's ash plume had reached an altitude of around 6,400 metres.
Footage widely shared on social media (click here if it doesn't show below) showed people running down one side of the volcano, as a thick column of smoke billowed above them.
#Etna éruption en live
— 🥗Aurelien Pouzin🍯 (@aurelienpouzin) June 2, 2025
There were no immediate reports of injuries following the eruption.
Italian media reports also said there was no immediate risk to the local population, which is accustomed to Mount Etna's frequent eruptions.
"Everything's under control," Catania Mayor Enrico Tarantino told Il Sole 24 Ore.
"There's no critical issue," he said.
"Based on our monitoring of the volcano, [the eruption] was expected, and access to the summit had already been restricted."
Flights to and from Catania's Vincenzo Bellini Airport weren't affected by the volcano's eruption, according to the latest local media reports.
Though the airport remained fully operational, Sicily's aviation authorities issued an orange alert earlier on Monday, urging pilots to exercise caution when flying near the area.
Mount Etna is Europe's largest and most active volcano.
It last erupted on February 11th, spewing hot ash and lava from its top crater.
Mount Etna's most destructive eruption on record took place in 1669, when lava swept through villages located on the volcano's slopes all the way down to Catania, on Sicily's eastern coast.
Defensive walls protected the city and sent molten rock plunging into the harbour.
Major eruptions have taken place roughly twice a decade since the 1970s, often accompanied by earthquakes.
The last time an eruption resulted in the loss of human life was 1987, when a woman and her seven-year-old son were caught in a sudden explosion while walking near the summit with their tour group.
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