Volcano Etna Enters Again in Eruption and Puts on Alert the Inhabitants of the Italian Island of Sicily
The President of Sicily, Renato Schifani, ruled out
Etna, the largest active volcano on the European plate and located on the Italian island of Sicily (south), has erupted again with strong explosions, a tall column of smoke and a flow of pyroclastic material on its southeastern slope.
The authorities They assure that the eruption is not dangerous for the population because it has not exceeded a valley at 2,800 meters above sea level.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) is monitoring the situation and, in its latest bulletin, has confirmed with its thermal cameras the presence of pyroclastic flows, flows with lava and gases that move at ground level.
The flow, explains the observatory, has probably been produced by the collapse of a part of the southeast crater but "the hot material" "does not seem to have exceeded" the Valley of the Lion, which hikers usually cross on their ascent of Etna.
The first notification from the INGV came at 02:39 local time (00:39 GMT) last night, when it warned of "a sudden variation in the parameters" at an altitude of 2,800 meters in this enormous and very active Sicilian volcano.
Later, it confirmed the activity of type 'Strombolian' - explosive but releasing a "modest" energy - in the southeast crater, as well as "a gradual increase" in tremors.
In the latest report, the INGV reports that the explosive activity in the southeast crater has led to lava eruptions and the volcanic tremor has reached "very high levels."
This eruption of the imposing Etna could be perfectly observed from the nearby city of Catania (south), which nevertheless maintains its airport operating.
The President of Sicily, Renato Schifani, ruled out "for the moment" dangers to the population, according to information received from Civil Protection.
"According to the first data, the material has not exceeded the edge of the Lion Valley and, as I have been assured, there is no danger to the population," he said.
However,Sicilian Civil Protection chief Salvo Cocina reiterated "utmost concern" for hikers and urged them to "avoid the volcano's summit area." At least "until further notice" due to "the potential evolution of the phenomenon," he said. With information from EFE.