Italy’s Mount Etna erupted Monday, sending a massive plume of ash, gas and rock into the sky after part of its southeastern crater likely collapsed, authorities said.
Surveillance cameras captured the eruption around 11:24 a.m. local time, with a dense grey cloud billowing from the volcano, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
The agency said a pyroclastic flow — a surge of volcanic rock, ash and hot gases — was probably triggered by the collapse of material on the northern flank of the Southeast Crater.
The eruption transitioned into a lava fountain, with the ash cloud expected to drift southwest. Aviation authorities issued a red alert, estimating the height of the volcanic plume at 6.5 kilometers (over four miles).
Despite the eruption, Catania Airport, located nearby on the island of Sicily, remained open.