Mount Etna rumbles

Mount Etna rumbles, sending lava down its side

Mount Etna rumbled Wednesday, sending lava down its side. Italian vulcanologists are monitoring the Sicilian volcano, they said Thursday.
Etna began tremors Tuesday night, the Italian Institute of Vulcanology said.
They reached their peak Wednesday morning, and lava flowed down the eastern rim on Wednesday night.
The volcano continued to show "rather weak" activity Thursday morning, the Institute said in a statement.

The volcano may be producing ash, scientists said, but did not offer confirmation.

Etna does not appear to be threatening people at the moment.

One of the most active volcanoes in the world, it towers over the city of Catania on the island of Sicily.

Mount Etna Eruption

Mount Etna Eruption: Volcano Briefly Illuminates Sky

ROME — Italy's Mount Etna has come back to life with a brief eruption that sent lava down its slopes and a cloud of ash into the sky, forcing the overnight closure of a nearby airport.

The volcanology institute in Catania, eastern Sicily, said Thursday that a two-hour eruption overnight sent a little stream of lava down the eastern slope of the mountain. Nobody was injured.

The volcano also spewed out ash, which rained down and forced Catania's Fontanarossa airport to shut down overnight, canceling or diverting a few domestic flights.

Officials said the airport reopened early Thursday.

Etna is Europe's most active volcano. Its last major eruption was in 1992.