Italy’s Mount Etna volcano erupts, spewing smoke and ‘a rain of stones’

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Italy’s Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, erupted on Tuesday, creating a fountain of lava and sending plumes of orange smoke into the sky.

The eruption forced Sicily’s Catania Airport to temporarily close — which often happens when the volcano is active.

No injuries or deaths have been reported.

Residents in the village of Pedara near the crater said it spewed not only ash, but also big chunks of volcanic stones throughout the area.

“It was a rain of stones,” resident Letizia Olivieri told the Associated Press. “Something I never saw in my entire life.”

The Sicilian village was in emergency mode, the mayor said, as residents and municipal teams worked to clean up the ashes on the street Wednesday.

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