Mt. Etna Stops Spewing Lava, but Quakes Keep Police Units on Alert

Lava stopped spewing Thursday from Mt. Etna, but police and civil defense forces remained on alert as earthquakes continued around Europe’s most active volcano, officials said.

After a team of scientists inspected Mt. Etna by helicopter, the Civil Defense Ministry released a statement saying that lava stopped pouring down the southeast side of the volcano early Thursday.

But three tremors rattled the area, the statement added. The most serious, measuring 4 on the Richter scale, struck at 3:34 a.m. State-run RAI television said the tremor sent hundreds of people fleeing from their homes.

Only Minor Damage

The civil defense statement said the quakes caused only minor damage to some buildings. It said government inspectors were checking the buildings to determine if anyone should be evacuated.

“On the basis of past experience with the eruptive behavior, the next two or three days are considered crucial,” the statement said.

Giuseppe Luongo, a volcanologist, told RAI television there is reason to be concerned.

“We have not seen a reduction in the seismic activity. Therefore it is possible that another event of the same energy could happen,” he said, referring to the strong quake that struck Wednesday.

He said that quakes on volcanoes tend to strike close to the surface and therefore can cause extensive damage even though they register as minor on the Richter scale.

One Man Killed

On Christmas Day, the volcano erupted at 3:45 a.m., triggering a series of earthquakes. The strongest quake that day, measuring 5 on the Richter scale, collapsed a resort hotel, killing an Italian man and slightly injuring 12 other people, authorities said.

An earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter scale can cause considerable damage. The scale gauges the energy released by an earthquake by measuring the ground motion.

The lava flow was contained in a large natural reservoir above the villages of Zafferana and Milo, which have a combined population of 5,500.