Authorities closed Catania airport in Sicily on Thursday after a stream of hot lava erupted from Mount Etna covering the sky in black smoke and ash. Molten lava erupted powerfully from the Voragine volcanic crater on the majestic Mount Etna along the eastern coast of Sicily, Italy, on Thursday. After three weeks of steadily increasing volcanic activity, a powerful Strombolian eruption sent a cloud of volcanic plumes more than 3 miles into the sky in a dramatic display.

Strombolian activity is a relatively low-level volcanic eruption, in which a small amount of energy is released, said the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Authorities closed Catania airport in Sicily on Thursday after a stream of hot lava spouted from Mount Etna that covered the sky with smoke and black ash. A layer of ash also covered nearby towns and people in Catania were seen sweeping ash from the streets. Footage uploaded by INGV shows spectacular images.