Mount Etna LIVE: Eruption sparks volcano red alert in Sicily – urgent warning to Brits | World | News

Mount Etna in Sicily has erupted as smoke fills the sky above the Italian island with a red alert in place.

Catania Airport has also had to suspend flights due to safety fears. Ash reportedly started rising from Etna ar around 7:45am this morning and intensified just before 9am.

La Sicilia reports: “From 7:45 a.m., ash emissions began from the vent on the upper eastern flank of the Voragine crater, intensifying around 8:45 a.m. until generating an eruptive cloud about 1.5 kilometers high above the volcano’s summit. For safety reasons, incoming flights to Catania-Fontanarossa airport have been suspended, while Ingv models indicate that the ash cloud will move toward the southern and south-southeast sectors in the coming hours.”

A red alert, which issued when an ash cloud presents a potential hazard to aircraft, is currently in place. Several flights have been diverted and had to land in Palermo instead, due to the volcanic activity.

Some areas of Catania Airport will be closed until the morning. Aircraft already at the airport will be allowed to depart, but arrivals are suspended.

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