Mount Etna volcano eruption causes 24-hour airport shutdown
Catania airport in Sicily was forced to close for 24 hours after smoke and ash from nearby Mount Etna blanketed the runway.
Images from the island’s largest international terminal showed dark, granular ash on the runway and passenger jets coated black in the aftermath of Sunday’s eruption.
Ash and debris could also be seen on car windshields and on roads, while smoke added to dense clouds darkened the sky in surrounding neighborhoods. The square of the Rifugio Sapienza, Nicolosi, in Sicily, was also discussed.
Operations at the airport resumed at 9 a.m. local time (7 a.m. GMT), the airport said in a statement, but warned there could still be delays.
On Sunday, authorities said “abundant amounts of volcanic ash on airport surfaces” prompted the closure of the airport on Sicily’s east coast.
Catania airport in Sicily has now reopened after ‘abundant amounts’ of ash fell from Mount Etna
Neighboring cars were covered in ash, prompting authorities to close the airport
A general view of the ash fall in the square of the Rifugio Sapienza, Nicolosi, in Sicily
People in the towns of Adrano and Biancavilla reported hearing loud booms emanating from the volcano on Sunday, the Italian news agency ANSA said.
Italy’s national civil protection agency had noted in a warning on Thursday that given increased volcanic activity, “sudden” variations in Etna’s activity could occur.
A heavy cloud around the top of Etna made it impossible to see eruptions.
However, according to local media, loud noises were heard in the region.
With a height of 3,324 m, Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe and has erupted regularly over the past 500,000 years.
Europe’s most active volcano can awaken from its slumber several times a year, ejecting lava and ash high above the Mediterranean island.
But it hasn’t produced a major eruption since 1922.
The blasts often create a spectacle of flaming lava, but cloud cover on the rainy day masked the view of this eruption, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), which closely monitors Mount Etna with instruments mounted on its slopes. are installed.
The volcano was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 and attracts thousands of visitors every year.
The 2017 eruption injured ten people, including a BBC crew. Footage of the moment when huge clouds of smoke and steam rose from the camera before people started running in fear to escape flying rocks.
Lava flow mixed with steam had caused a huge explosion, pelting the group with boiling stones and steam.
This file photo shows an eruption of Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe
A thick layer of ash and debris covered the roads and sidewalks in the square of Rifugio Sapienza, Nicolosi, yesterday
A Sicilian shows off debris spat out during Mount Etna’s eruption on Sunday
About eight people were injured, with some evacuated from the mountain by rescue teams.
In 2021, a massive eruption sent lava about 3,000 feet into the air. Experts said the activity was a level of anger “rarely seen for decades.”
Millions of tourists have returned to Sicily in droves following the Covid pandemic, and the region saw a sharp increase in travelers in 2022.
About 10 million passengers passed through Catania International Airport last year, which serves the eastern part of Sicily, one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations.
Pictured in 2021: Satellite photos show lava flowing down the side of Mount Etna during a savage eruption
2021: Lava flows from the Etna volcano, near Catania in Sicily, southern Italy