(ORDO NEWS) — Earthquakes and tsunami waves were registered in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Sicily after a strong volcanic eruption on the Italian island of Stromboli.
The tsunami was caused by a large piece of the Sciara del Fuoco section of the Stromboli volcano breaking off, which crashed into the sea, creating a tsunami wave one and a half meters high.
Sirens went off on the island to warn the public, but the civil defense department said no one was hurt in the incident and said property damage was “minor” as the waves barely made it to the coast.
However, Nello Musumechi, Minister of Civil Defense and Maritime Policy, said the authorities were taking the necessary precautions and had asked about 30 citizens to leave their homes in case the situation worsened. Earlier, local authorities declared the volcano an orange alert level.
“Regardless of local volcanic events, which may have frequent fluctuations, a situation of greater volcanic imbalance persists.
For this reason, the population of the island is asked to stay informed and strictly follow the instructions of local authorities,” Musumechi added.
INGV reported that lava erupted from the northern part of the volcano’s crater, accompanied by “intense explosive activity” that continued for several hours, causing at least two large landslides.
They turned into pyroclastic flows that reached the sea and formed ash plumes rising 1,500 meters into the sky.
Although experts now claim that the lava follows its natural path, local authorities have nonetheless closed schools on the island and banned boat trips.
INGV also reported that a magnitude 3.1 quake was registered off the coast of Stromboli on Monday at around 6:49 am local time, following a magnitude 4.6 aftershock on Sunday.
However, according to experts, these earthquakes have no “direct connection” with the volcanic eruption.
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