The "dirty thunderstorm" caused lightning to strike through the clouds in a sight both terrific and terrifying.
Italian Mount Etna erupted with spectacular lava fountain https://t.co/oLAl2xNykP pic.twitter.com/pt1nlzLYSm— L'Italo-Americano (@Italo_Americano) December 3, 2015
The ash from the eruption covered the nearby cities of Messina in Sicily and Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland, where the airport has been closed.
Mi inchino. #Etna pic.twitter.com/FMjPsn9pQM— Simona Barone (@simonas_barone) December 3, 2015
black ash from #Etna pic.twitter.com/2kr166sDnT— Etna People (@EtnaPeople) December 3, 2015
At 10,992 feet, Mount Etna is the tallest volcano in Europe with a basal circumference of 87 miles. Since its first recorded eruption in 475 BC, Etna gained legendary status throughout the ages, with classical Greek stories portraying it as inhabited by gods of fire, a cyclops, and dragons.
Airspace had to be closed when Etna erupted two years ago.
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