Sicily’s Mount Etna has erupted, sending ash and lava excessive over the Mediterranean island, forcing flights to be suspended and leaving vacationers going through vacation disruption.
The Italian volcano, which at 3,330m (10,925 ft) excessive is Europe’s tallest and most energetic, started erupting in a single day, officers stated.
Though the lava move subsided earlier than daybreak, ash was nonetheless coming from one of many craters.
No flights will go in or out of Catania, a preferred vacationer vacation spot, till 8pm (6pm, UK time), the airport stated on X, previously generally known as Twitter, and earlier on Monday, the airport itself was briefly closed.
A number of British Airways, Ryanair, easyJet and KLM flights have been cancelled, delayed, or diverted to different airports on the island.
Catania Worldwide Airport stated: “Resulting from Etna’s eruptive exercise and fallout of volcanic ash, flight operations are suspended till 8pm.”
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Pic: Etna Stroll/Marco Restivo
The airport, which serves jap Sicily, noticed round 10 million passengers final yr.
With many streets coated in ash, town has banned using motorbikes and bicycles for 48 hours.
Motorists have been additionally ordered to drive no quicker than 30kmph (19mph) because of the skiddy circumstances.
The timing may hardly be worse for the favored vacationer vacation spot, coming lower than a month after a fireplace at a terminal noticed flights disrupted for weeks and compelled the airport to shut briefly.
Etna’s final main eruption was in 1992.