Ash rains down on towns as Etna keeps up its spectacular explosions

Lava gushes from Mount Etna (Salvatore Allegra/AP

A particularly spectacular blast from Italy’s Mount Etna volcano has sent out a towering cloud of ash and lava stone onto Sicilian villages, the latest in a series of explosions since mid-February.

Italy’s national geophysics and volcanology institute INGV said the powerful explosion was the 10th such big blast since February 16, when Europe’s most active volcano started giving off an impressive demonstration of nature’s fire power, colouring the night sky in shocking hues of orange and red.