Italy's Mount Etna erupts, forcing tourists to flee
June 2 (UPI) -- Italy's Mount Etna on the island of Sicily erupted Monday spewing ash and hot lava that sent tourists, who were summiting the mountain, fleeing. The massive eruption also collapsed the volcano's southeast crater.
The 10,925-foot mountain is one of the world's most active volcanoes. Monday's eruption is the largest since 2014, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Observatory, which noted "explosions of increasing intensity" that were "almost continuous."
The observatory shared video on its Facebook page, showing the large eruption and collapse of Etna's southeast crater.
"An interdisciplinary group of researchers from the PRIN-Volando project, among which INGV staff were present sends us a video of the pyroclastic flow that happened recently," INGV wrote in a post.
INGV Vulcani later wrote that "the Southeast Crater has become a lava fountain," as the group revealed infrared images of lava flowing down the mountain.
The observatory said it first recorded changes in the mountain as volcanic tremors hit at 11:39 p.m., local time, before confirming there was a "Strombolian" eruption, which included intermittent explosions.
Etna is the most active volcano in Europe and the most active stratovolcano -- a conical mountain with a central crater -- in the world.
Mount Etna erupts at least once every year with its last significant eruption in 2024 and before that in 2023, when flights near Sicily were grounded. Air travel on Monday was not impacted, but tourists summiting the mountain were forced to flee to safety.
Monday's eruption is posing no danger to the island's population, according to officials.
"Over the past few hours, the falling of a little thin ash has been flagged in the Piano Vetore area," INGV said, as the observatory announced that the eruption is over.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
WebMD
29 minutes ago
- WebMD
My Comfort Cat, Miss Macy
I have three cats. One of them is a male cat named Leo who I rescued from the Bronx in 2015 when he was not quite a kitten (despite the Facebook posting and vague photo asking if someone wanted a kitten). He is what's considered a tuxedo cat because most of his body and face have black hair with patches of white. Despite how lovely he looks, he was quite a biter and rather mean when we welcomed him into our large four bedroom co-op apartment in Brooklyn. But we tolerated him nonetheless. Then in 2018, my husband, Malcom, brought home two actual kittens, a brother and sister. From the moment we saw them, we all fell in love. As American shorthairs, their fur is a blend of grey, black, and white. We named them Milo and Macy, respectively. Their cuteness and playfulness added to the joy of our blended family (Malcolm, me, my daughter, and his three sons). Throughout the years, the male cats bullied Macy. But in 2020, she struck back and ever since then has been the queen of the house. It was around that time when something about my relationship with her changed. She seemed to know when I was not feeling well from treatment or when I was just emotionally spent from the travails of life. My favorite spot in my bedroom is a large, brown microfiber recliner that's next to the bed. It's where I relax with a blanket. Macy often comes into the room and looks intently in my eyes, jumps up on the chair, snuggles under my bosom, and loudly purrs. As I pet her, whatever is troubling me dissipates while we cuddle and often fall asleep until Malcolm comes home and fusses that she shouldn't be in our room or on the chair because of the cat hair. But, as I've explained to him, we mutually comfort each other. This is especially true now that our daughter no longer lives at home. It's just Macy and me – the only gals in the house of mostly guys. I know that it's been said that a dog is man's best friend. I would say that Macy is my best cat friend. Of course, I have many good friends and a loving family that I can speak to about my issues, but sometimes what's best said is nothing. It might sound weird because Macy cannot audibly speak to me, but her intuition is spot on. Just knowing that she's there for me no matter what has greatly contributed to my quality of life. Don't get me wrong, Leo and Milo are special to me, but I must admit that I am partial – Macy has my heart.
Miami Herald
41 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Cause of death revealed for 53-foot sea creature that washed up on Oregon beach
A 53-foot sea creature washed ashore after it was reported dead off the coast of Oregon. Now researchers know how it died. The adult male sperm whale washed ashore 12 miles north of Seaside between Del Ray and Sunset Beach, according to a June 1 Instagram post by Seaside Aquarium. The whale was spotted floating before it eventually washed ashore May 29, according to a June 3 Facebook post by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries West Coast. There were two angled and paralleled cuts across the top of the whale's head, officials said. After performing a necropsy and seeing 'trauma with several vertebrae exposed and twisted,' researchers determined the whale died because it was hit by a vessel, officials said. Sperm whales can reach lengths of 60 feet long and weigh in at over 40 tons, the Seaside Aquarium said. They are classified as an endangered species and can live up to 60 years. They feed on squid, sharks and fish, officials said. The whale will remain on the beach and decompose over time, as eagles and coyotes have the 'ability to feed on this whale for quite some time,' officials said. Seaside is about an 80-mile drive northwest of Portland.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Japanese royal family supports peace while touring Okinawa
June 4 (UPI) -- Japan's imperial family honored the war dead in Okinawa on Wednesday, where the last major battle of World War II occurred 80 years ago, from April 1 to June 22, 1945. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako brought their daughter, Princess Aiko, with them during a two-day visit to the Okinawa Prefecture, The Japan Times reported. The trip is to remember the deaths of an estimated 110,000 Japanese soldiers, 12,520 U.S. soldiers and an unknown number of Okinawan civilians who died during the battle. "I hope it will be an opportunity to reflect deeply on the value of peace and renew our resolve to uphold it," Naruhito told media before embarking on the trip. The royal family's visit also underscores its commitment to peace while making planned visits to place flowers at the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum in Itoman on Wednesday. The mausoleum contains the remains of an estimated 180,000 civilians and soldiers who died during the long and bloody battle. Japan's royal family afterward visited the Cornerstone of Peace, which has the engraved names of 240,000 war victims, and then the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum. While there, the royal family spoke with some of the family members whose forebears died during the battle, Kyodo News reported. A 91-year-old survivor of the battle for Okinawa told reporters that Princess Aiko told her she "felt the importance of peace" during the visit. Emperor Naruhito has been a staunch supporter of peace and is a direct descendant of Emperor Hirohito, who led Japan before and during World War II. The royal family also visited with Okinawans in their 20s and 30s who help to preserve wartime stories and share them with visitors at the memorial museum. The royal family on Thursday will visit the Tsushima Maru Memorial Museum to lay flowers for the victims of the Tsushima Maru evacuation ship, which a U.S. Navy submarine torpedoed and sank on Aug. 22, 1944. The vessel was carrying 1,800 civilians who were being evacuated, and 1,484 died when it was sunk near the island of Akusekijima in the Kagoshima Prefecture. Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko also will visit Shuri Castle on Okinawa. The castle's main hall is being rebuilt after a 2019 fire destroyed it. The royal family will return to Japan on Thursday night after completing their tour of Okinawan sites. They also have a memorial visit to Hiroshima on June 19 to remember the victims of the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing by the United States that killed up to an estimated 135,000, including between 60,000 and 80,000 who died when the bomb detonated over the city. The U.S. Army Air Force dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki three days later, which killed an estimated 40,000 people upon detonation over the city.
