Mount Etna, located on the eastern coast of Sicily, Italy began to erupt on Sunday, June 1, with footage showing the large plumes of ash flying into the air and tourists on the ground running away from the scene.
A video was shared online
Footage of the Italian volcano erupting was shared on social media showing a large ash cloud forming, rapidly growing in the air as terrified tourists run for their lives.
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It’s the most active volcano in Europe
Mount Etna is currently the most active volcano in its continent with experts saying that its recent eruptions have been escalating to continuous “explosions of growing intensity,” as per the Daily Mail.
The volcanic tremors began on Sunday
The initial volcanic tremors began at around 10pm on Sunday evening, just moments before the eruption, before they reached a peak three hours later at night.
Reports have said that the first tremor was localized at an altitude of 2.8km below the volcano’s crater area.
A statement was issued about the eruption
A statement by Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said, “Over the past few hours, the activity flagged in the previous statement issued at 4.14am has carried on with strombolian explosions of growing intensity that, at the moment, are of strong intensity and nearly continuous.”
“Over the past few hours, the falling of a little thin ash has been flagged in the Piano Vetore area.”
A ‘code red’ was issued for flying
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre Toulouse (Vaac) initially issued a brief ‘code red’ for any aviation movement due to the plumes in the air.
This has since been downgraded to an orange aviation warning. The Vaac explained that the volcanic ash is made mainly of water and sulfur dioxide, and was “drifting towards the south west.”
Footage was also shared from a nearby village
Another video of the eruption was taken from a nearby village showing people walking on a main street as the ashes grow behind them.
The volcano has been erupting frequently
This isn’t the first time Mount Etna erupts this year, with 13 reported eruptions in 2025.
During one eruption in February, the volcano sent hot lava spewing down on the mountainside as skiers were still on its slopes.