Mount Etna eruption strands thousands of tourists as Catania airport cancels 200+ flights

Eruption enters fifth day

Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, has been emitting large quantities of ash and glowing rock fragments since Friday, 7 August, marking the fifth consecutive day of intense activity on 11 August. The Italian Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reports thick lava flows emerging from two vents at 2,360 and 2,750 metres elevation. Overnight on 10-11 August, a new vent opened at approximately 1,900 metres. The most advanced lava flow, still being supplied with magma, reached about 1,370 metres elevation, according to INGV. Intense explosive activity continued at the Voragine crater, sending large volumes of ash that settled on the south side of the volcano, in several villages, and in Catania itself. The volcano, rising more than 3,300 metres, has been closely monitored for decades due to its frequent eruptions.

Catania airport paralysed

Catania airport, the largest in Sicily and located at the foot of the volcano in a city of 300,000 inhabitants, has been operating under the highest red warning level. On the morning of 11 August, only a single domestic flight was able to depart. All landings were suspended until 19:00. More than 200 flights have been redirected or cancelled outright since the eruption began. Aircraft on the tarmac have been covered with protective sheeting to shield engines from ash, and runways require repeated cleaning of volcanic ash. The airport normally handles more than 12 million passengers per year. Authorities make closure decisions based on wind direction and ash concentration, often at very short notice.

Thousands stranded

An estimated 30,000 people are affected by the disruption, according to the reports. Many tourists have been forced to extend their stays on the island, but with accommodations fully booked, some families have had to spend the night at the airport, where chaotic scenes have been reported. Many passengers complained that airport staff were overwhelmed. A tourist told the Italian daily La Repubblica: "We were left to our fate. If I had gotten into a rubber dinghy, I would certainly have arrived sooner." A reporter for the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) experienced the disruption firsthand: a normally two-and-a-half-hour flight from Catania to Berlin became a two-and-a-half-day journey.

Tourists seek alternatives

With Catania airport largely closed, many travellers have attempted to reach Palermo airport on the other side of the island or to take trains off Sicily. Both alternatives are fully booked. The disruption comes at the height of the summer holiday season, when large numbers of foreign visitors, including many Germans, are on the island. Some tourists reportedly said that travelling by rubber dinghy would have been faster than the available transport options.

Rescue and safety concerns

The eruption has also drawn sightseers. Hundreds of people have been streaming to the area in the evening and night hours to watch the red-glowing lava flows, with many attempting to get as close as possible to the natural spectacle. A couple from Catania, both 20 years old, lost their way after observing the eruption from a viewpoint and had to be rescued by emergency services after wandering into inaccessible terrain. They alerted rescuers, who located and brought them safely out of the area. Such rescue operations have become more frequent during the current eruption. Authorities have warned against venturing unprepared into the challenging terrain around the volcano. Italian actor Filippo Laganà reported on Instagram that tourists' distress was being exploited, though the full details of his account were not available in the sources.