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| BBC crew among those injured in explosion on Mount Etna | BBC crew among those injured in explosion on Mount Etna |
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| A BBC crew was among 10 people injured after a flow of lava triggered an explosion when it came into contact with snow on Mount Etna in Sicily on Thursday. | A BBC crew was among 10 people injured after a flow of lava triggered an explosion when it came into contact with snow on Mount Etna in Sicily on Thursday. |
| Six of the crew were taken to hospitals in Catania and nearby Acireale. Their injuries were not believed to be serious. | Six of the crew were taken to hospitals in Catania and nearby Acireale. Their injuries were not believed to be serious. |
| The broadcaster’s global science correspondent, Rebecca Morelle, was among the team on the volcano at the time of the eruption, which came from a crater on the south-eastern side of the 3,000-metre peak. | The broadcaster’s global science correspondent, Rebecca Morelle, was among the team on the volcano at the time of the eruption, which came from a crater on the south-eastern side of the 3,000-metre peak. |
| She tweeted: “Lava flow mixed with steam – caused huge explosion – group pelted with boiling rocks and steam.” | She tweeted: “Lava flow mixed with steam – caused huge explosion – group pelted with boiling rocks and steam.” |
| Morelle said the blast caused head injuries, burns, cuts and bruises, adding that one volcanologist had told her it was the most dangerous incident he had experienced in his 30-year career. | Morelle said the blast caused head injuries, burns, cuts and bruises, adding that one volcanologist had told her it was the most dangerous incident he had experienced in his 30-year career. |
| Running down a mountain pelted by rocks, dodging burning boulders and boiling steam - not an experience I ever ever want to repeat (8) | Running down a mountain pelted by rocks, dodging burning boulders and boiling steam - not an experience I ever ever want to repeat (8) |
| The incident was a “reminder of how dangerous & unpredictable volcanoes can be – everyone had a very lucky escape”, she wrote. | |
| A 78-year-old woman was among those quickly brought to safety, she added. | |
| The six injured were taken to hospitals in Catania and nearby Acireale. | |
| It is the third time in less than three weeks that Europe’s most active volcano, which overlooks the city of Catania, has erupted, spewing lava almost 200 metres into the sky. | It is the third time in less than three weeks that Europe’s most active volcano, which overlooks the city of Catania, has erupted, spewing lava almost 200 metres into the sky. |
| “It’s difficult to say whether this has been the most dangerous eruption in 30 years,” Stefano Branca, a volcanologist at the Catania unit of Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, said. | |
| “But if it had happened in August, when there isn’t any snow, it wouldn’t have been as significant. This type of eruption is an exception.” | |
| The volcano is still erupting, but the situation is “under control”, he added. | |
| Mount Etna, a Unesco world heritage site since 2013, can burst into life several times year. The previous large eruption was in 1992. | Mount Etna, a Unesco world heritage site since 2013, can burst into life several times year. The previous large eruption was in 1992. |
| Alongside Mount Vesuvius, near Naples, Mount Etna is among the 16 volcanoes in the world categorised as ‘decade volcano’, which means it has to be closely monitored to the its frequent activity and densely populated surroundings. | |
| The last major eruption was in 1992, when the town of Zafferana Etnea was in the path of the lava flow. Although some homes were buried by the lava, nobody died. |