At least 10 people were injured after an earthquake triggered by Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano jolted its surrounding area Wednesday morning.
Churches, businesses and homes were damaged after 1,000 tremors linked to Etna’s eruption shook its nearby villages just north of Catania, the largest city in the eastern part of the island. As a result, residents fled, the Associated Press reported.
The quake registered as a magnitude 4.8 on the Richter scale, breaking open large cracks in the sidewalk and highways. Firefighters in Piano d’Api removed cracked stucco from the bell tower of the damaged Santa Maria della Misericordia church. Italy’s culture ministry said the quake damage to churches was being tallied by experts.
“Etna remains a dangerous volcano, and this country of ours is unfortunately fragile,” government undersecretary Vito Crimi told the press.
Etna is the largest of Italy’s three active volcanoes. Recently, it has been particularly active; shooting volcanic ash, heavy smoke and lava stones into the air.
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