Italy's Mount Etna -- the largest active volcano in Europe -- erupted for a third-day Monday, sending ash, fire and rocks more than 800 feet into the air.
Etna, nearly 11,000 feet high, is located 18 miles from Catania on Sicily's east coast.
Although several villages lie on its lower slopes, the Italian government said a lava field more than one mile in length was flowing away from them, preventing any immediate danger, The London Telegraph reported.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
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