Tourists flee after Mount Etna erupts, sending plumes of ash into the sky

Mount Etna is known for its frequent volcanic activity but Monday’s eruption marked the biggest since 2014, as ITV News Correspondent John Ray reports

Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano has erupted, sending a plume of gases, ash and rock more than 6,000 metres into the sky on Monday, according to Italian authorities.

The active volcano, which is Europe’s tallest, erupted after a volcanic tremor was detected on Sunday evening. A lava fountain was also seen spurting from the crater.

Social media footage appeared to show tourists fleeing down the mountainside, as a pyroclastic flow of gas and ash began spreading across the slope of Mount Etna.

There were no reports of any injuries or deaths.

The explosive display was heard from as far away as Catania, a city around 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the volcano.

One tour company told ITV News’ partner CNN that they had a group of 40 tourists on the volcano when the eruption began.

Mount Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, released large plumes of ash and smoke

In a video filmed close to the eruption, tour guide Giuseppe Panfallo said: “We were nearly grazed, look at this cloud here. We were two steps away and thank goodness we have a responsible guide with us.

“It arrived all at once, an immense smoke, immense, immense roar.”

Experts have said one flank of the volcano’s south-east crater has collapsed.

The Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre issued a red aviation colour code, warning planes a significant volume of ash in the atmosphere is likely.

Volcanic activity was detected on Sunday night, before an eruption on Monday. / Credit: Andrea Morosini

Nearby airports in Catania and Palermo remain open too as, currently, the wind is not blowing the ash in that direction.

The Sicilian Civil Protection Agency instructed all flight travel to avoid the area and some flights from Catania have been directed to Palermo, according to Flight Radar Data.

None of the ash is expected to fall on Catania, the city at the foot of the volcano, though authorities are prepared to alert people to take cover if the wind changes, the city’s mayor Enrico Tarantino told CNN.

Roads close to the volcano have been closed by the authorities to stop people trying to get close to the eruption.

Etna is known for its frequent activity and last erupted in February 2025. However, Monday’s volcanic eruption marked the biggest since 2014, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Observatory.

Mount Etna is found on Sicily’s east coast, and is one of Europe’s most active volcanoes, at over 3,300 metres tall. The volcano has been active for at least two and a half million years.