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Volcanoes erupt in Italy and Russia. On the night of Wednesday, January 12, Mount Etna
on Italy’s southern island of Sicily erupted, with flames shooting skyward as molten lava
streamed down its eastern slope. The 3,329-meter high mountain’s event could be seen from
the nearby towns of Catania and Taormina. Two airports in nearby Catania were closed
overnight as a safety precaution. Scientists at the Italian Institute of Vulcanology had
observed minor earthquakes from within the volcano on Tuesday, and have continued to
monitor its activity following the eruption. Meanwhile, in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula,
local media reported on Thursday that renewed activity of the Kizimen volcano sent plumes
of steam and ash up to 10 kilometers high. Ash descended over the villages of Anavgai
and Esso, located around 135 kilometers away, as well as the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,
at a distance of 266 kilometers. There was fortunately no need for evacuations and no
human injuries or damage reported for either event.
We are relieved to know of the residents’ safety in both Italy and Russia as we thank
the officials for their monitoring and notifications to protect people in the affected regions.
May our benevolence toward one another and our planetary abode help to ease such potential
calamities as these�