Volcano over 3,300m high erupts like the end of the world, tourists panic and run away

(Dan Tri) - A giant, black column of smoke suddenly emitted from Mount Etna in Italy, forcing many tourists to abandon their trip and run away.

A powerful eruption at Italy's Mount Etna volcano forced dozens of tourists to flee on June 2, as columns of hot gas, ash and rocks shot miles into the sky.

Video posted on social media showed people rushing away from the scene of the explosion. While a tour company said it had 40 tourists on the slopes of the volcano in Sicily when the incident happened.

A giant column of smoke rose (Photo: Reuters).

Giuseppe Panfallo, a tour guide with the Go Etna company, captured the scene of a group of tourists running away in panic while a giant cloud of ash appeared in the distance.

“We were almost caught in the black smoke. Look at the smoke coming from behind. We were just a short distance from the eruption site, but luckily we had a very responsible guide with us. Everything happened so fast and there was a roar,” one of the guests said in the video.

According to the Civil Defense Agency of Sicily, there are about 10 tour companies operating regularly on Mount Etna. Information from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) of Italy said that all tourists and hikers who were present at the volcano when it erupted were safely evacuated.

The 3,300m high volcano erupted like the end of the world, causing panicked visitors to flee (Video source: Daily Mail).

Videos posted by locals showed the eruption, with explosions heard as far away as the cities of Taormina and Catania, which are 50km and 40km away respectively.

"On June 2, the eruption was different from previous ones because of the sudden and strong explosion. It was a dramatic moment but fortunately it was short-lived," said Alessio Zocco, a local mountain guide.

The eruption subsided by the evening of the same day. The three lava flows began to cool. However, the volcano continued to emit sporadic ash plumes near the crater. The level of tremors also decreased to a low level.

Located on the island of Sicily, Mount Etna is a popular destination with around 1.5 million visitors each year, many of whom venture close to the summit.

According to INGV, despite being one of the most active volcanoes in the world , this eruption is said to be the strongest since 2014.

Such eruptions usually end quickly, although the explosions are increasing in intensity and the volcano is still spewing small amounts of lava and fire, the institute said.

Tourists flee when volcano erupts (Photo cut from clip).

“The current situation is not dangerous for tourists and residents,” said Renato Schifani, president of the Sicily region. He also thanked rescuers for “immediately activating monitoring and safety protocols.”

Along with that, this official continued to advise climbers to be extremely cautious and stay away from the mountain peak area until further notice due to concerns that the phenomenon could continue to develop complicatedly.

The ash has not yet affected the city of Catania at the foot of the mountain, but authorities are still ready to issue warnings if the wind changes direction.

Nearby airports in Catania and Palermo are operating normally as winds are not blowing ash in that direction. However, Sicily's Civil Defense has ordered flight restrictions over the area. Flight Radar data shows that some flights from Catania have been diverted to Palermo.

Many roads leading up the mountain have been blocked to prevent people from approaching the eruption area and hinder rescue operations.

Experts say the eruption was a form of explosive debris flow and the formation of a column of gas containing a potentially deadly mixture of superheated gas, lava, volcanic ash and rocks of various sizes.

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