#Etna Collassa porzione del cratere, grosso flusso piroclastico pic.twitter.com/0KopQy0ZtY

— Local Team (@localteamit) June 2, 2025

MOUNT ETNA, EUROPE’S most active volcano, erupted early this morning and sent massive plumes of ash and smoke into the Sicilian sky, causing panic among locals and tourists.

According to the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Toulouse, ash plumes rose to around 6,400 metres high, triggering a “code red” aviation alert.

A code red means that there is a “significant” amount of ash in the atmosphere.

Despite the alert, the eruption will cause no threat to the public, experts have said.

Footage widely shared on social media shows panicked tourists fleeing the slopes of Etna as ash began falling and tremors were felt in nearby communities.

#Etna 2025 suite de l’éruption pic.twitter.com/95sZiVHGbM

— 🥗Aurelien Pouzin🍯 (@aurelienpouzin) June 2, 2025

Despite the eruption, Sicily’s Catania International Airport remained open and operational, though authorities warned of potential flight disruptions if ash levels increase.

Italian civil aviation is yet to close any airspace.

Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) have said that they are closely monitoring the event.

Smoke billows from Mount Etna volcano, Italy. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The institute suggested the eruption may have been caused by a partial collapse of Etna’s southeast crater, although no lava flows had breached the Etna Valley by this afternoon.

No injuries or fatalities have been reported.

Additional reporting from AFP