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

Getty Images Mount Etna erupting at nightGetty 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."

Getty Images Mount Etna erupting, seen during the daytimeGetty Images
Getty Images Mount Etna eruptingGetty Images
Getty Images Lava spewing in the background of a cathedralGetty Images
Getty Images Etna has sent up magnificent plumes of orange smokeGetty Images
EPA Mount Etna eruption seen from nearby townEPA
Reuters Mount Etna - lava seen up closeReuters
Reuters Lava fountains spewing from the top of the volcanoReuters

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