Sicily's Mount Etna, the largest and most active volcano in Europe, erupted for the first time this year overnight into Friday, spewing ash and clouds in a massive column as high as five miles into the sky.
Firefighters search for survivors Sunday, December 12, after a gas explosion caused multiple residential buildings to collapse in Ravanusa on the Italian island of Sicily.
Regional authorities in Sicily recorded temperatures of 48.8C today as an anticyclone dubbed "Lucifer" swept the country, which, if confirmed, would be a new Italy record.
Europe's most active volcano erupted in a fiery display of seismic power early Tuesday, sending bright orange flares of lava leaping into the darkness overnight as awed residents looked on.
The regions of central Italy faced critical conditions on Monday due to heavy snowfalls and continuing low-intensity earth tremors, local media reported.