In Pictures: Mount Etna eruption lights up Sicily's night sky

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Mount Etna erupting at nightImage source, Getty Images

Mount Etna is erupting again, and its hot lava fountains are illuminating the Sicilian sky.

The eruption began earlier this week, and Etna has since been spewing massive orange plumes of gas and thick clouds of ash.

Etna is Europe's most active volcano, and it erupts relatively often. The last major eruption was in 1992.

Its eruptions have rarely caused damage or injury in recent decades - and officials believe this eruption is no exception.

Stefano Branco, the head of the National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in the nearby city of Catania, told Italian news agency AGI earlier this week: "We've seen worse."

Mount Etna erupting, seen during the daytimeImage source, Getty Images
Mount Etna eruptingImage source, Getty Images
Lava spewing in the background of a cathedralImage source, Getty Images
Etna has sent up magnificent plumes of orange smokeImage source, Getty Images
Mount Etna eruption seen from nearby townImage source, EPA
Mount Etna - lava seen up closeImage source, Reuters
Lava fountains spewing from the top of the volcanoImage source, Reuters

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