Italy: Italy’s Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, erupted dramatically on Monday, spewing vast plumes of volcanic ash and molten lava into the skies over Sicily.
The powerful eruption sent a thick column of ash approximately 6,400 meters high and triggered panic among nearby tourists, though no casualties were reported.
The eruption occurred overnight and was one of the most intense episodes since 2014, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
Loud explosions were heard as far as 50 kilometers away in coastal towns such as Catania and Taormina. The volcanic event caused a partial collapse on the northern side of the southeast crater, experts said.
This is Mount Etna right now – a thread 🧵pic.twitter.com/ZKBlVxyik9
— James Lucas (@JamesLucasIT) June 2, 2025
Mount Etna’s sudden activity created what geologists described as a “pyroclastic eruption”, a violent outburst featuring a lethal mix of hot gases, volcanic ash, rock fragments, and lava grains that descended rapidly along the volcano’s slopes.
Videos shared widely on social media captured the terrifying beauty of the eruption, with tourists running for safety as ash darkened the skies. Experts from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Toulouse issued aviation warnings, and the Sicilian Civil Protection agency declared a VONA (Volcanic Observatory Notice for Aviation), requiring aircraft to avoid the eruption zone.
Mount Etna, visited by over 1.5 million people annually, is a stratovolcano built up over millennia through successive lava eruptions. While frequent eruptions are common, the magnitude and explosiveness of Monday’s activity were particularly notable.
As Italy’s geological authorities continue to monitor the situation, experts caution that more minor eruptions could follow, underscoring Etna’s persistent power and environmental volatility.
