Mount Etna eruption lights up Sicilian sky

An eruption by Europe's most active volcano has sent a tower of sparks and fire into the sky around it.

The plume of ash rising from Mount Etna can be seen across much of eastern Sicily. Its eruptions are not infrequent, but the last major one occurred in 1992.

The nearest airport and airspace were forced to close temporarily but none of the villages on the slopes of the mountain have been forced to evacuate so far.