Mount Etna erupts, sending ash, smoke 4,000 metres over Sicily

Rome: The Etna volcano on the Italian island of Sicily has erupted again, sending plumes of ash and thick smoke up to 4,000metres into the sky on Tuesday, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said.

The summit of the 3,300-metre-high mountain was already lit up in the early hours of Tuesday as lava shot metres high into the night sky during an eruption.

The INGV recently recorded additional activity at the volcano.

Stromboli, on the volcanic island of the same name in north-eastern Sicily, also recently erupted at the weekend.

The lava flows there at times reached the coast.

There has so far been no reports of major damage or injuries from the volcanic on the two islands.