Rocked by two earthquakes five minutes apart, frightened people today raced out of their homes on Mount Etna’s slopes, where a thick river of lava was threatening a refuge for hikers.

A string of earthquakes today shook the area around the erupting Mount Etna volcano, sending panicked villagers tripping and falling as they ran from their homes and forcing the evacuation of some 1,000 people from buildings rocked by the tremors.