Rain of ash from Etna in eruption: flights stopped at Catania airport

Rain of ash from Etna in eruption: flights stopped at Catania airport

Time Stamp: May 21, 2023 11:02 AM
Source Node: 2667161
Mount Etna eruption of 1989 @ Jeanne Boleyn in Wikimedia

A new eruptive phase is underway on Etna, but the activity can only be followed by the instruments of the INGV of Catania because the bad weather that hides the volcano with rain clouds prevents direct observation. Flights to Catania Airport are diverted.

The presence of Strombolian activity is confirmed by the strong roars heard in Adrano and Biancavilla and by the fall of lava ash in the same area and also in Catania.

The ash forced SAC, the management company of Catania Fontanarossa airport, to suspend all activities. Departures were blocked, while incoming planes were diverted to other airports, essentially Palermo, or cancelled.

The experts of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Etna observatory, in Catania communicate that “the cloud cover persists in the summit area of the volcano, therefore it is not possible to carry out volcanological observations via the video surveillance network“. However, the volcanologists explain that “starting from 07:20 the volcanic tremor, already at a high level, registers a sudden increase in values“.

Source: Repubblica

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