Europe's largest active volcano, Mount Etna, on the Italian Mediterranean island of Sicily, has calmed down, the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Catania reported on Monday.
The institute said the volcano had passed a relatively normal night. On Monday, the authorities lowered the warning level for air traffic from red to orange.
Earlier on Sunday, the mountain, which is more than 3,300 metres high, had spewed large quantities of glowing lava into the sky. In the evening, a thick cloud as high as 4.5 kilometres of magmatic gases, molten rock and ash particles could be seen over the volcano.
Explosions were seen and heard repeatedly over the weekend. Ash rain fell on several towns in the area. However, there was no major damage, and the island's Catania airport continued to operate.
