No Filipino Affected in Mt. Etna Eruption: DFA

No Filipino was reported affected by the eruption of Mount Etna and more than 100 earthquakes recorded in Sicily, Italy.

In an update posted at around 11:45 p.m., Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Elmer Cato said the agency continues to monitor the situation in Italy.

While some hikers were brought down from the slope of the volcano to safety level, there were no reports of deaths or injuries. Further, Italian authorities have not issued an evacuation order.

According to the Philippine Embassy in Rome, the Filipino community in the cities of Catania and Messina themselves reported they were safe and that no Filipino has been affected by the eruption.

Flights into Catania airport, which were halted temporarily, returned to normal at 8 p.m. Monday (local time).

There are around 2,325 Filipino nationals in Messina and 624 in Catania with more or less 5,000 residing in the whole of Sicily.

Reports said that Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe, spewed lava from a new fracture near its south-eastern crater on Monday. More than 130 earthquakes with one as high as 4.3 magnitude were also recorded following the volcanic activity. (PNA)