14:26, Mon, Jun 2, 2025 | UPDATED: 14:30, Mon, Jun 2, 2025
The enormous volcano has erupted today (June 2) (Image: @finnbenedikt)
A new video has emerged showing the astonishing moment a horde of tourists was caught on a volcano as it erupted, spewing ash and rocks thousands of feet into the air. The footage shared on X user @finnbenedikt shows scores of visitors on the side of Mount Etna, in Sicily, as it erupted today (June 2).
As the roaring crater begins to throw a massive plume of ash into the sky, people can be seen hurrying down the Martian-like surface of the volcano, negotiating with rocks and scree as they try to get away from the eruption as fast as possible. Sharing the video to X, @finnbenedikt captioned it: "Sudden eruption on Etna volcano!" Dramatic pictures show a massive ash cloud being emitted during the Strombolic eruption which can be seen for miles around towering over the nearby city of Catania.
An infrared live stream of Mount Etna from the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) shows bright lava flows visible on the mountain.
The volcanic monitoring body said in a statement to local media: "The forecast model indicates that an eruptive cloud produced by the ongoing activity would disperse in a west-southwest direction. From a seismic point of view, the tremor amplitude values are currently high and tend to increase further."
In a statement, the Diocese of Acireale, the Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church located in Sicily, posted on X: "Our volcano Etna makes itself heard, reminding us with strength and majesty of the power of the nature that surrounds us.
"From the Milo community, the gaze opens onto a landscape that blends awe and beauty, silence and wonder."
Specialist cameras show lava flowing on the mountain (Image: INGV )
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Airline pilots were issued with a red alert following the eruption on Sicily this morning. Volcanic ash can damage aircraft engines, and although no volcanic ash cloud was detected in initial satellite imagery, a cloud primarily composed of water vapour and sulfur dioxide was observed drifting southwest.
Volcanic ash is hard and abrasive, and can quickly cause significant wear to propellers and turbocompressor blades, and scratch cockpit windows, impairing visibility.
Previous large eruptions around the world have seen planes grounded for days due to the potential risk. The red alert was downgraded to orange three hours after it was first issued. It currently remains at orange.
Tourists were seen hurriedly descending the volcano as it erupted all around them (Image: @finnbenedikt)
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