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Italy's Etna and Stromboli volcanoes appear, Catania Airport closed

Eruptions at Italy's Mount Etna and the smaller sized Stromboli volcano spewed hot ash and lava, raising alert levels on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and forcing a short-lived shutdown of Catania Airport on Friday.

Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has actually seen intense activity in current days, illuminating the sky near the city of Catania, while Stromboli off the northern Sicilian coast has actually spilled lava into the sea.

Italy's civil defense company issued its leading, red alert for Stromboli, warning the scenario could deteriorate.

Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said Stromboli was under monitoring, including that authorities were ensuring evacuation strategies were ready in case of emergency.

The fire brigade stated they had preemptively doubled the number of firefighters on the island.

Around Catania, on the eastern coast of Sicily, locals and authorities relocated to tidy up the city after streets and vehicles were left smothered in black ashes, while the neighboring airport was closed.

The runway at Catania Airport is unusable due to the volcanic ash fall. Both arrivals and departures are suspended, the airport stated in a statement, including that operations were due to resume at 3:00 p.m. (1300 GMT).

(source: Reuters)