Etna in Italy erupts and spits out a lava fountain

One of the most active volcanoes in the world and certainly the most active in Europe offered a spectacle from late Sunday through Monday.

Glowing lava shot from Mount Etna spewing steam, ash and gas.

The aviation authorities in Sicily were even forced to close Catania airport.

Aircraft caught on the ground were covered in ash.

Incoming flights have been diverted.

Many flights have been cancelled.

According to Reuters, the airport is set to reopen on Tuesday morning after a road sweeper cleaned all the runways.

Catania’s mayor banned bicycles and motorbikes from the streets for 48 hours and allowed teams to scrub the slippery ashes, a local told Storyful.

During the clean-up work, the cars had to slow down to 29 km/h.

The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said in a statement that they observed a volcanic plume that caused ash fallout in towns near Catania, south of the volcano.

A lava fountain soon appeared, lighting up the night sky.

The lava fountain has stopped, but the INGV said the weak ash ejection continues and is only affecting the summit area.

Rare smoke rings

Days earlier, photographers had caught Mount Etna emitting smoke rings.

Mountain rescue teams stationed nearby told local media that the rings were very rare.

A single vent pushed out smoke, steam, and other gases at high velocity, creating rings.

According to Britannica.com, Etna has been an active volcano for 2.6 million years.