Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, demonstrated its incredible power with a violent eruption.

The fiery activity also disrupted flights to nearby Catania airport.

Etna is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, lighting up the sky in recent days as its activity has increased. The nearby Stromboli volcano, off the coast of northern Sicily, has also erupted, pouring lava into the sea.

But as Etna continues to rise, incredible images captured in Sicily by photographer and guide Emilio Messina are giving the world a closer look at the volcano.

“This eruption started very slowly a few days ago inside one of the four craters of the Etna volcano,” he said.

Yesterday, however, all the seismic signals and volcanic tremors indicated a significant increase in magma, so I headed to a safe altitude to document this impressive eruption.

“It lasted several hours and as a result of the volcanic ash falling on the city of Catania, it was necessary to close the airport and cancel all flights.”

Increase

Airport authorities have revealed that the runway at Catania Airport was unusable due to volcanic ash fall. It is currently open for departures, but the number of arrivals remains limited.

“The eruption ended after a few hours, but residents of villages and towns around the volcano are experiencing considerable inconvenience as streets and houses are covered with volcanic ash at least two centimeters high,” Messina said.

‘Volcanologists probably say that Etna’s summit is now even higher. Official measurements are awaited.’

Etna is the highest peak in Italy south of the Alps. Its official height is 3,357 meters. It has erupted several times in recent decades, the last time in December 2023.

However, despite being particularly active, Etna would not be considered a supervolcano. Such volcanoes are typically called “super” after an eruption and must reach an eight on the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), meaning they eject more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of material.

Such an eruption would devastate the region and have far-reaching consequences.

However, a volcano is erupting in Campi Flegrei, Italy, near Naples, and some scientists believe it could lead to an eruption of massive proportions, even if it isn’t technically a “super” one.

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