Italy's Mount Etna spews the ash and smoke in Sicily, Italy December 24, 2018 in this still image from a video obtained by Reuters TV on December 24, 2018.
CATANIA, Italy (Reuters) – Italy’s Mount Etna, Europe’s highest and most active volcano, erupted on Monday, sending a huge column of ash into the sky and causing the closure of Catania airport on Sicily’s eastern coast.
A chain of around 130 earth tremors have rocked the volcano since around 0800 GMT on Monday, Italy’s National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology said, with the strongest posting a magnitude of 4.0.
There were no reports of any injuries.
The 3,330 meter high volcano can burst into spectacular action several times a year, spewing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island. The last major eruption was in 1992.
(Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni, writing by Gavin Jones; Editing by Toby Chopra)
