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STV News
4 days ago
- STV News
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. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
STV News
29-05-2025
- Politics
- STV News
UN finds evidence of war crimes as Ukrainians 'hunted' by Russian drones
People in Kherson are living in fear of Russian drone attacks, as ITV News Correspondent John Ray reports Russia has committed war crimes by systematically attacking Ukrainian civilians with drones in the port city of Kherson, according to a UN commission. A report released on Wednesday found Russian forces have launched hundreds of attacks targeting civilians and ambulances, during a months-long pattern of drone strikes on the right bank of the Dnipro river. Victims of the attacks were hit doing everyday activities, like visiting relatives, on the way to work, waiting for the bus, or travelling by bike, the UN was told. People reported drones suddenly appearing overhead and chasing them over long distances, before releasing explosives. Elderly people who struggled to escape the drones were also targeted. One woman said she was walking home with her 54-year-old husband when they heard a drone buzzing above. It immediately dropped an explosive, injuring both of them – but he did not survive. 'My husband died in my arms, bleeding to death,' she said. Another woman, 50, described how an ambulance had come to her aid after she had been injured by shelling, but a drone strike prevented it from helping her. A second ambulance arrived – but a drone dropped an explosive in front of it, setting the vehicle alight. The woman said she saw the driver burn to death. More than 150 people have been killed and hundreds more injured in similar strikes. These acts are war crimes and were committed with the 'primary purpose to spread terror', the report found, with residents left scared to make any movement outdoors. 'Their task is to terrorise us, to break us,' one person told the UN commission. Another said: 'Drones were attacking everything; minibuses, cars, pedestrians etc… every time you went out of the house you had to check the sky and look out for a buzzing sound, and, in any case, run.' The commission's chair told ITV News that drone attacks are persisting daily in Kherson The Kremlin has previously insisted it only launches attacks on Ukraine's military – but Erik Mose, Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, told ITV News they had found no evidence of this. 'We are absolutely clear in our conclusions the cases we are addressing are only about civilian populations, and we have not discovered any military targets,' he said. Kherson was the first major city captured by Russia, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine was launched in 2022. Ukrainian forces liberated the city later that year, but shelling and strikes on Kherson have continued as both sides continue to exchange fire. A screenshot from a drone video, showing an ambulance targeted by a drone attack. / Credit: UN Human Rights Council Residents described spending the majority of their time inside, only going outside on cloudy days or to places where they could hide under trees. Russian forces mostly used commercially drones in the attacks, modified with cameras to track, aim and drop explosives on targets, the report found. Video feeds taken from the drones have been shared on Russian Telegram channels, showing civilians being injured and killed. The report said the posting of these videos amounts to 'the war crime of outrages on personal dignity'. One video showed three people being attacked whilst repairing a roof. 'Once again, everything that moves will be destroyed,' the caption read. Another video caption used smiley face emojis to brag about preventing emergency services from reaching a woman who had been severely injured by a drone. 'Russian Federation soldiers behave like this is a safari,' a doctor in Kherson told the report authors. 'They drop explosives from drones like it is a video game.' The UN concluded Russia has carried out the war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against civilians in Kherson, outrages of personal dignity through sharing the footage, and forcible transfer of population as the attacks have forced civilians to leave the area. It also found Russia has violated international humanitarian law by committing violence to 'spread terror' amongst the population. The report calls on Russia to immediately end the drone attacks and called for the perpetrators of the war crimes to be held accountable. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
ITV News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
'War is coming': ITV News speaks to those living on the India-Pakistan border
ITV News Correspondent John Ray reports from the India-Pakistan border amid the rising tensions between the two neighbours Jagtar Singh remembers the last war between India and Pakistan, more than 50 years ago. Despite living just one mile from the border of Pakistan, in Amritsar, India, he is confident and says he's not scared. "War is coming," he told ITV News. "This is a war against the militants. Against the terrorists." Jagtar's friend chimes in, brimming with confidence: "We will be victorious, we are very powerful." Just over a mile away, however, many Pakistanis share that confidence. "If India thinks that we are weak, this is their mistake," one man told the Associated Press. "Our army has given them a good answer." ITV News Correspondent John Ray reported from Amritsar, in northern India, on Friday night as air raid alerts rang out. The area was under an enforced blackout due to attacks across the border. "There are very dangerous and uncertain days ahead," he said. There is real concern that the violence will escalate into all-out war. Overnight on Thursday, at least five civilians were killed after both sides exchanged heavy volleys of shells and gunfire across their frontier in Kashmir. India has said the civilian death toll in Indian-administered Kashmir has risen to 18 since Wednesday, while Pakistan said Indian mortar and artillery fire has killed 17 civilians in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the same period. Tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals have soared since last month's terror attack on a tourist site in India-controlled Kashmir left 26 civilians dead. India blames Pakistan for backing the attack, an accusation Islamabad rejects. What's happened so far? On Wednesday, India conducted airstrikes on several Pakistani sites it described as militant-related, killing 31 civilians according to Pakistani officials. In response, Pakistan said it shot down five Indian fighter jets. On Thursday, India said it thwarted Pakistani drone and missile attacks on military sites in more than a dozen cities and towns, a claim Pakistan denies. India also claims to have hit Pakistan's air defence systems and radars close to the city of Lahore, something that has not been independently verified. India has also ordered social media site X (formerly known as Twitter) to block more than 8,000 accounts, including a number of "international news organisations and other prominent users". The social platform did not specify exactly which accounts had been blocked, but in a statement on Thursday said the order "amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech." Across several northern and western Indian states, including Punjab, Rajasthan and Indian-administered Kashmir, schools have been shut, and some companies have been encouraging staff to work from home. Earlier on Friday, the Board of Control in India announced it was suspending this year's Indian Premier League for at least one week due to security concerns.
