The eruption of the Etnathe largest active volcano on the European plate and located on the Italian island of Sicily, has intensified in recent hours, with the expulsion of a cloud of ash that has forced divert some flights bound for Catania to land at Palermo airport.

The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) is closely following the eruption, with ups and downs in recent days, and has confirmed in the early hours of Thursday “a gradual increase in strombolian activity in charge of the “Voragine” crater, which has become the highest peak of Etna after the latest eruptions.

The “eruptive cloud” that has been forming in the last few hours has produced “ash emissions which are dispersing in a southerly direction,” adds the INGV in its latest bulletin.

“The average magnitude of the volcanic tremor“After a gradual increase observed since 20:00 yesterday, it has reached the highest level, with an increasing trend. The centre of the source of the volcanic tremor is located east of the Vorágine crater, at an altitude of about 2,800 metres above sea level,” he said.

The INGV highlights that “Infrasonic activity is high and the sources of the events are located in the Voragine crater, which has become the largest on Etna, since with the lava material accumulated during the last eruptions its eastern edge has reached an altitude of 3,369 meters.

According to data provided by the Institute, Vorágine, which has remained silent for the past three years, since its last ash emission dates back to April 2021, has surpassed the Southeast Craterwith a height of 3,247 meters.

Despite the ash cloud, the Catania airportthe closest to the volcano and which had to be partially closed last Thursday, is still operational. The red warning issued last night by the INGV has been reduced to orange in the last few hours, although several flights bound for the Catane aerodrome were diverted to Palermo airportin the Sicilian capital, according to local media.

Very close to Etna, the volcano has also been active for several days Strombolion a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea whose population has taken extreme caution, although it is accustomed to this phenomenon given the frequent explosions in that crater.