Catania airport closes due to ash on runway.

Italian civil protection authorities on Thursday issued a maximum red alert warning for the Stromboli volcano due to intense volcanic activity on the tiny Sicilian island.

Dramatic footage published by Italy's National Geophysics and Volcanology Institute (INGV) showed pyroclastic flows cascading into the sea, emitting enormous plumes of smoke and ash.

Stromboli is currently "under special surveillance", civil protection minister Nello Musumeci said, adding that authorities were readying emergency evacuation plans in case needed.

E ancora, sempre confronto tra camera a infrarossi (sinistra) e visibile (destra) dei flussi piroclastici che entrano in mare dopo aver percorso tutta la lunghezza della Sciara del Fuoco.
Video fornito dai progetti #UNO e #Dynamo.#Stromboli #INGV pic.twitter.com/ORhsGsmIRt— INGVvulcani (@INGVvulcani) July 4, 2024

Part of the seven-island Aeolian archipelago off the northern tip of Sicily, Stromboli's volcano has been erupting almost continuously for the past 90 years.

In 2002 a huge explosion on Stromboli caused a tidal wave after magma collided into the sea, and in 2019 a hiker died in a powerful eruption that covered the island in ash.

#Messina, dal pomeriggio di #oggi si è intensificata l'attività eruttiva dello #Stromboli: potenziato il monitoraggio del #vulcano.
Nella clip il sorvolo sull’isola dell’elicottero dei #vigilidelfuoco Drago 142#4luglio pic.twitter.com/Lw0nJYYtpd— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) July 4, 2024

Meanwhile an eruption of the Mount Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano, has resulted in the temporary closure of the nearby Catania airport in the north-east of Sicily.

The airport has suspended all arrivals and departures, with flights expected to resume on Friday afternoon once the runway is cleared of volcanic ash.

The runway at Catania Airport is unusable due to volcanic ash fall: both arrivals and departures are suspended. At the moment, flight operations are estimated to resume at 3:00 PM. Do not go to the airport without checking the status of your flight— Aeroporto di Catania (@CTAairport) July 5, 2024

Travellers are urged to check the status of their flight before making their way to the airport.

On Friday the mayor of Catania issued a 48-hour ban on the use of two-wheeled forms of transport and set a speed limit of 30 km/h due to the ash on the roads.