A huge plume of ash, gas and rock spewed forth Monday from Italy\u2019s Mount Etna, Europe\u2019s largest active volcano, after a portion of its southeastern crater likely collapsed, authorities said. Images showed a massive grey cloud billow forth from the volcano on the island of Sicily, beginning about 11:24am local time (0924 GMT), according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Surveillance cameras showed \u201ca pyroclastic flow probably produced by a collapse of material from the northern flank of the Southeast Crater\u201d, the agency said. A pyroclastic flow occurs when volcanic rock, ash and hot gasses surge from volcanos. They are extremely dangerous. The explosive activity \u201chad transitioned to a lava fountain\u201d, INGV said, with the plume of ash expected to dissipate towards the southwest. A red alert issued for aviation authorities said the height of the volcanic cloud was estimated at 6.5 kilometres. The nearby Catania airport was still in operation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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