Mount Etna erupts in Sicily as 'red alert' issued and Catania Airport flights stopped

Mount Etna erupts in Sicily as 'red alert' issued and Catania Airport flights stopped Arrivals are being diverted away from Catania Airport as Mount Etna has sent volcanic ash into the sky Catania Airport has been closed due to volcanic ash after an eruption at Mount Etna, with passengers warned to check the status of their flights. SAC, the company that manages Catania Airport in Sicily, said arrivals would be suspended until 4pm this afternoon due to volcanic ash in the atmosphere. The news comes as a volcanic cloud has been seen rising 4km into the air and moving south towards Catania airport. The airport has closed Sector C1, local media reports, while the ash cloud is being monitored with visible and thermal surveillance cameras. Domestic and international arrivals are being diverted to other Sicilian airports, including the Falcone-Borsellino airport in Palermo, SAC said. The volcano is experiencing variable-rate degassing from the summit craters, according to Italy’s Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, with near-continuous ash emissions from the Northeast Crater. There was also "frequent explosive activity at the summit craters," the experts warned, with ash clouds, pyroclastic debris and lava at the summit. Volcanologists have warned that there may be worse to come. "A rapid evolution of the ongoing phenomena towards more energetic activity with the formation of eruption columns, ash clouds, and collapse of portions of the summit cones with the formation of pyroclastic flows cannot be ruled out," the institute said in a statement. Passengers have been advised to check the status of their flight directly with their airline before traveling This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link. You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.