Vita gazette – Eruptions at Italy’s Mount Etna and the smaller Stromboli volcano spewed hot ash and lava, raising alert levels on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and forcing a temporary shutdown of Catania Airport on Friday.

Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has recently seen intense activity. Its lava has lit up the sky near Catania, while Stromboli off the northern Sicilian coast has spilt into the sea. Italy’s civil protection agency issued its top red alert for Stromboli, warning that the situation could deteriorate.

Etna has been active throughout the past week, and after Etna, Stromboli also became active. Following the unprecedented volcanic activities of Mount Etna, the highest level ever recorded on the Island of Sicily, a series of volcanic eruptions also shook Stromboli, another active volcano in the south of Italy. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Catania reported that the ash plume from Mount Etna soared to a staggering height of 4.35 kilometres, raising concerns about the potential impact on the region.

Etna, Europe’s highest active volcano, was active throughout the past week. At least 90 departure and return flights have been cancelled at Catania Airport, while approximately 15,000 passengers have suffered. Ireland-based airline Ryanair also announced that it had to cancel 42 flights. In its statement informing its passengers about the flight cancellations, the UK-based airline company Easyjet explained the reason for the cancellation as “volcanic activity in the CTA caused restrictions in the areas where aircraft are allowed to fly.”

A post on the X platform by the Prime Ministry Civil Defense Department announced that the alarm level was increased to the highest level with “red” due to the intense volcanic activity in Stromboli. Director General of Civil Defense Fabrizio Curcio convened the emergency operations committee to evaluate the steps to protect the people living on the island from the volcano’s effects and monitor the situation.

Catania Airport was closed on Friday because of potential risks from Mount Etna’s ash in the atmosphere. “The runway at Catania Airport is unusable due to the volcanic ash fall. Both arrivals and departures are suspended,” the airport said in a statement.