The spectacular images of lava and flames from the …

he Etna volcano, on the Italian island of Sicily, erupted on Monday night leaving incredible footage of lava and flames in the middle of the night. Europe’s most active volcano, covering an area of ​​1,190 square kilometers with a basal circumference of 140 kilometers, was emerging from four weeks of moderate activity.

As stated in a press release Etneo Observatory, dependent on the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Etna was affected on the night of January 18 by a strong explosion in the southeast crater.

At around 8:30 p.m., the agency said, there was “intense activity” followed by tremors which reached “high values” and lava overflows on several sides of the mountain, one of which headed east, into the Valle del Bove, while another glided north.

A cloud of gas and volcanic ash which accumulated in the hills of Etna, reaching the nearby town of Fleri.

Explosive volcanic activity started to decrease after 21, while at 06:46 UTC, the Osservatorio confirmed that the volcanic cloud was no longer present in the atmosphere and that the lava flows were already cooling.

In this latest statement, the Etneo Observatory reported that in the south-eastern crater, there were still sporadic eruptions of ash, but they are quickly dispersed by high altitude winds. Regarding the tremors, he assured, are still at levels of medium intensity.