Mount Etna rumbling and spewing ash, lava from new fracture
MILAN — The Mount Etna observatory says lava and ash are spewing from a new fracture on the active Sicilian volcano amid an unusually high level of seismic activity.
The Etna observatory said a swarm of 130 tremors have been recorded by Monday midday, the most powerful registering a magnitude of 4.0. It reported lava flows from the volcano and said a new fracture had opened near its southeast crater.
The owner of a refuge on the volcano says hikers are being brought down from higher elevations to 1,900 meters (6,230 feet) for their safety. But there are no reports of injuries.
A huge column of ash caused the closure of Catania airport on Sicily’s eastern coast.
Etna, the largest of Italy’s three active volcanoes, has been particularly active since July.
