Local authorities have issued alerts regarding the dangerous activity of the Etna and Stromboli volcanoes.
Travelers using Catania airport, the largest in Sicily, face great delays and cancellations due to the last eruption of Etna.
The active volcano, the highest in Europe, has recorded a significant increase in activity over the last week. He Strombolion the nearby Aeolian Islands, could also erupt imminently.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Catania has informed that the fire emanating from Etna has increased the darkness height of 4.35 kilometers.
As a consequence, much of the airspace near the volcano has been forced to cancel passenger flights. This means that the number of arrivals at Catania airport is much lower than usual: only five per hour. The airport has announced that normal service will resume at 3:00 p.m. local time.
What disruptions has the Etna eruption caused to air traffic?
So far, at least 90 round-trip flights have been canceled at Catania airport, which has affected about 15,000 passengers. Ryanair alone has been forced to cancel 42 flights, the highest number of all airlines.
Easyjet has also been affected: “We are sorry that your flight has been cancelled,” they told passengers, “This is due to the volcanic activity in CTA [Catania] is causing restrictions in the areas where planes are allowed to fly.”
A large part of travelers have encountered diverted flightsand many have arrived in Palermothe airport that serves the capital of Sicily and is located 4 hours by car from Catania.
Is Etna likely to continue erupting?
Italy’s Civil Protection Department has warned that this is not an isolated event.
“Italy, along with Iceland, has the highest concentration of volcanoes assets of Europe and it is one of the first countries in the world for the number of inhabitants exposed to volcanic risk,” they stated in a statement. “In southern Italy there are active or potentially active volcanoes with different degrees of danger”.
The department also advised the local population and tourists to “follow the instructions of the civil protection authorities transmitted on radio, TV, in the daily press, on the Internet and through the various toll-free numbers that will be enabled.”
They also gave instructions to the population so that, during the eruptions, they should not enter the prohibited areas, since “It is dangerous to approach the crater area even if there is no eruptive activity, since it is always possible that sudden explosive phenomena or gas emissions may occur.”
The mayor of Catania, Enrico Trantino, also issued an order by which prohibited the local population from using two-wheeled means of transport for 48 hours. It also set a speed limit of 30 km/h due to the potential danger of driving on ash.
Italy decrees red alert for the nearby Stromboli volcano in Sicily
Etna is not the only volcano causing problems in Sicily. Late Thursday, Italy’s Civil Protection Department issued a Red alert by a possible eruption of nearby Stromboli volcanoraising the potential threat level from moderate to severe.
Stromboli is in one of the Aeolian Islandslocated off the northeast of Sicily, and popular tourist destinations mostly in summer. The decision was made after the department and local leaders evaluated the “rapid evolution” of the volcano Stromboli.
There have been publications of lava spilling into the sea and generating a column of smoke two kilometers high.
In a press release, Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported “effusive activity” in a fumarole located 700 meters above sea level. The INGV added that “the seismic signal has remained at a very high level” and the authorities have warned that the situation could deteriorate.
Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci stated that Stromboli was “under surveillance” and confirmed that there were emergency evacuation plans and that the firefighters had preventively doubled the number of troops on the island.
Videos and images from Stromboli showed a spectacular giant cloud of ash rising above the sea.
ADVERTISINGOn the neighboring island of Lipari, the mayor has put in place precautionary measures to protect the inhabitants of the small community.
Stromboli, erupting
Stromboli It is a tiny island, just 12 square kilometers and 924 meters high. It is formed by the top of a largely submerged volcano, but it is one of the most active on the planet.
Even though it takes 90 years in almost continuous eruption, is a tourist attraction point. The INGV states that it is one of the few volcanoes in the world with almost continuous activity.
The Stromboli It last erupted in 2022, with no casualties. An eruption in 2019, however, caused the death of a 35-year-old hiker of Messina and forced about 30 tourists to jump into the sea to escape.
