Italy’s Mount Etna Erupts, Briefly Closes Sicily Skies (SEE SPECTACULAR VIDEO)
Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe, erupted on Saturday, creating a spectacular air show with its glowing lava. However, at the same time, the volcano also spewed a large ash plume over Sicily, briefly closing the airspace over the southern Italian island.
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Catania Airport was closed on Saturday before dawn, but the closure order was lifted by authorities by early Sunday morning.
It is Mount Etna's 14th eruption for 2013, but its last major eruption was in 1992. Before its latest eruption, there were several underground quakes on Friday. There was no need to evacuate the nearby villages.
The air show was visible from space which prompted Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano to tweet photos of the eruption from the International Space Station.