Mount Etna eruptions: Catania airport reopens a day after ash cloud forces its closure

Spectacular: Mount Etna spews lava during an eruption early on Christmas Day
Orietta Scardino/ANSA via AP
Jason Collie25 December 2018

Italy's Catania airport has resumed full operations a day after an ash cloud from Mount Etna's latest eruption in eastern Sicily forced it to shut down.

Before dawn on Christmas Day, fiery red flaming lava shooting out from the volcano could be seen against the darkness of the night sky.

At least 130 tremors have rattled villages on the slopes of the volcanic mountain earlier this week, with the most powerful quake registering a magnitude of 4.3 on Monday.

The series of quakes appeared to be diminishing on Tuesday.

The volcano's seismological observatory says a new fissure has opened on a stretch of uninhabited slope near Mount Etna's south east crater.

On Monday, hikers on Etna were brought down from the higher elevations for their safety, however, officials did not order the evacuations of nearby villages.

Volcanic ash was also seen on some cars and streets near the mountain.

Etna, located on the Mediterranean island of Sicily, is one of three active volcanoes in Italy.

It has been particularly active since July.

Additional reporting by the Press Association

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