Mount Etna erupts with a huge plume of ash; tourists seek safety

Taylor Ardrey

USA TODAY

A volcanic eruption in Italy left people scurrying for cover from what officials are saying is a pyroclastic flow. Several videos circulating online show people running as smoke from the side of Mount Etna, an active stratovolcano volcano in Sicily, filled the air on June 2.

Footage and photos were also shared by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Italy. The government agency wrote in a translated post that a pyroclastic flow, a combination of ash, rock, and gas, "probably produced by the collapse of material from the northern side of the Southeast Crater."

Volcanic steam rises from Mount Etna, near Motta Camastra, Sicily, Italy, June 2, 2025.

Smoke rises from the crater of the Etna volcano as it erupts, on Mount Etna near Catania on June 2, 2025.

The INGV added that the "explosive activity" has "moved to "a lava mountain." According to GB News, an international news outlet, a spokesperson for the institute explained that "the values of the tremor amplitude are currently high with a tendency to increase further."

Where is Mount Etna located?

Europe’s largest and most active volcano, Mount Etna, is located on the eastern coast of Sicily, Italy, in the province of Catania, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The active stratovolcano is known for its frequent and persistent eruptions, and volcanic activity in the region can range from explosive eruptions to lava flows and ash emissions, USGS says.

Volcanic steam rises from Mount Etna, near Motta Camastra, Sicily, Italy, June 2, 2025.

Earlier this year, skiers were captured going down the slopes while lava flowed in the background.