Mount Etna and the smaller volcano Stromboli erupted in Italy, spewing hot ash and lava, raising the level of alarm on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and leading to the temporary closure of the airport in Catania, which disrupted flights, UNN writes with reference to Al Jazeera.
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Mount Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, has shown intense activity in recent days, lighting up the sky near Catania, and lava has flowed into the sea from Stromboli off the northern coast of Sicily.
"The runway at Catania Airport is unusable due to falling volcanic ash: both arrivals and departures have been suspended," the airport's management company said in a statement on Friday.
Flights were scheduled to resume at 15:00 (16:00 Kyiv time), the message said, asking travelers to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
Plumes of ash have risen into the sky to a height of 4.5 km, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported on Thursday.
Images posted on social media on Friday showed the streets of central Catania covered with thick layers of black ash, slowing down traffic.
Etna, a 3324 meter high volcano, has erupted several times in recent decades. Over the past few days, fountains of hot lava and ash have been spewing out of its crater and falling on Catania airport.
Італія оголошує тривогу через активність вулкана Етна: фото04.07.24, 15:40
Millions of passengers pass through Catania Airport every year, connecting them to eastern Sicily, one of Italy's most popular tourist destinations.
The Italian Department of Civil Protection also issued the highest "red" alert level for Stromboli, warning that the situation could worsen.
The country's Minister of Civil Protection Nello Musumeci said that Stromboli is "under surveillance," adding that authorities are making sure that evacuation plans are ready in case of an emergency.
Firefighters said they have doubled the number of firefighters on the island, also called Stromboli, which is located near Sicily.
According to the Volcanological Agency, Mount Stromboli, which reaches a height of 920 meters, is known as one of the few almost constantly active volcanoes in the world.
In 2019, one person died and another was injured as a result of the Stromboli eruption.