Videos circulating on social media showed visitors rushing to descend the mountain as volcanic plumes rose overhead.
Tourists on the Italian island of Sicily were forced to flee on Monday from the slopes of Mount Etna, one of Europe’s largest and most active volcanoes, after an eruption sent clouds of gas, rock, and ash billowing into the sky.
There were no reports of injuries or deaths, though videos showed hikers scrambling to descend the mountain as plumes rose overhead. More than 20 percent of the flights arriving at the nearby Catania Airport were delayed, according to FlightAware, a company that tracks flight information. Authorities stated that there was no risk to the local population.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology reported that the explosions were confined to the summit area, which was closed to tourists, and were of “strong intensity.” The institute later announced on its Facebook account that the day’s volcanic activity had ended.
People watched from the nearby town of Milo as the volcano erupted. As a popular tourist destination, Sicily welcomes millions of travelers annually, with over a million visiting Mount Etna alone. In recent years, authorities have struggled to control imprudent visitors who failed to appreciate the risks associated with getting close to the island’s most prominent landmark. Mount Etna, a stratovolcano, shows almost continuous activity from its main craters and experiences relatively frequent lava flows from craters and fissures along its sides. A previous major eruption occurred in February.
A couple from England, Hannah and Charlie Camper, were vacationing at Villa Carlino House, located about 10 miles east of the volcano’s central crater, when volcanic plumes began billowing near the summit.
While aware of previous eruptions, Ms. Camper stated they thought they would be “completely fine,” since “it’s active all the time.” She mentioned that they were unsure what to do if the activity worsened and did not receive any emergency messages on their phones. After filming the eruption, they went inside and began searching the internet for safety warnings.
“We were waiting to hear something, but nothing came through even though the smoke was getting bigger and coming toward us,” she said. “At one point we could see the lava coming down the volcano.”
Sicily, also known for being the setting of the second season of the hit series “The White Lotus,” has grown increasingly popular among tourists in recent years, despite facing challenges such as heat, wildfires, and water shortages.