At least 10 injured during Mount Etna eruption
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
When incredibly hot lava hits extremely cold snow, it can result in a phreatomagmatic eruption, sending ash, steam, and rocks exploding into the air. On Thursday, this rare event took place at Italy's Mount Etna, sending onlookers running for safety.
At least 10 people were injured by flying debris, including tourists, journalists, and a scientist. A BBC News crew was filming Europe's most active volcano when it spewed out lava and and steam that reached temperatures of more than 1,800 degrees, and journalist Rebecca Morelle wrote on Twitter that a "volcanologist said [it was] the most dangerous incident experience in his 30 years," adding, "Running down a mountain pelted by rocks, dodging burning boulders and boiling steam — not an experience I ever, ever want to repeat." Morelle also tweeted a photo of her colleague Rachel Price's jacket, which had a "massive hole" in it after rock burnt through it. Catherine Garcia
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
