SPECTACULAR PHOTOS: Mount Etna erupts

Mount Etna in Italy, Europe's tallest volcano, has erupted once again.

Etna erupted 18 times in 2011 and Wednesday's was the second such event this year.

Huge volumes of lava, flames and hot ash billowed over Sicily, the country's southern island, illuminating the midnight sky.

Flames burst into hundreds of metres into the air even as authorities were forced to shut the airport in the nearby town of Catana. Many flights were cancelled.

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