MILAN — Mount Etna, the volcano that towers over eastern Sicily, has again captivated the world with a spectacular show, spewing smoke and high into the sky.
But the defining event of Monday's eruption was the more rare pyroclastic flow from the southwestern crater not visible from a distance.
The volcano is Europe's most active and the continent's largest. Etna attracts hikers and backpackers to its slopes while less adventurous tourists can take it in from a distance, most stunningly from the Ionian Sea.
Etna's latest eruption caused neither injuries nor evacuations, but sent a group of tourists on its flanks running, as captured by video posted on social media with smoke towering in the background.
Authorities emphasized there was no danger to the population, and the pyroclastic flow — a fast-moving mixture of rock fragments, gas and ash — was limited to about 2 kilometers (more than a mile) and didn't go beyond the Valle del Leone, or Lion Valley, which forms a natural containment area.
Etna has been active recently and this was the 14th episode since mid-March. The most recent pyroclastic flows with significant reach were recorded on Feb. 10, 2022, Oct. 23, 2021, Dec. 13, 2020, and Feb. 11, 2014, Marco Viccaro, president of Italy's national volcanology association, said Tuesday.
What's happening now
After a 19-day lull, Etna began to erupt with lively explosive bursts of gas and ash followed by a mild lava flow on the eastern slope followed by a smaller flow to the south.
