Italy: a new eruption of the Etna volcano has covered …

Nail new eruption of Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, blanketed dozens of Sicilian towns in black ash and stones on Sunday, so island authorities declared the regional state of crisis Yes They asked for help from the Italian government.

This is the tenth eruption recorded since February 16. The ash, local media reported, affected dozens of municipalities located between the eastern slope of the volcano and the sea, such as Sant’Alfio, Giarre, Linguaglossa and Mascali.

Due to the color of the dust, these municipalities were named by the authorities as the “black zone”. The rain of ash and pyroplastics also caused problems and retention on a section of the motorway between Messina and Catania.

State of crisis

After a meeting with civil protection, which is already monitoring the area and assessing the current situation, the governor of Sicily, Nello Musumeci, has decided to declare a state of regional crisis and to raise a request for help from the central government.

As Musumeci announced this Sunday, there will be a An immediate disbursement of one million euros for the affected villages and a call for tenders will be opened to purchase means of ash extraction.

The governor also tasked his health adviser, Ruggero Razza, to check as a precaution if the volcanic ash can affect people’s health. “Caution is never enough,” Musumeci stressed.

Marco Falcone, responsible for Sicilian infrastructure and mobility, posted on his social networks images of some cities he visited, such as Riposto, with ground covered with black ash and volcanic pebbles, and explained that to reduce the traffic inconvenience he ordered raise the barriers of all tolls on this part of the highway until the situation returns to normal.