Eruption of Mount Etna

Mount Etna, Europe's biggest and most active volcano, came to life again on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2002, with a river of lava coming out of its mouth and a series of small quakes damaging buildings on its slopes.

Volcanology experts from the National Geophisic and Volcanologist Institute use a laptop to monitor Mount Etna's eruption activities. From left to right: FIlippo Mure'(an Italian doctor), and Georgina Sawyer and Mike Burton (both of Great Britain).

A man looks at a restaurant damaged in Linguaglossa, Sicily.

Taxi driver Luigi Giuffrida shields himself from ash as Mount Etna continues to erupt on Oct. 28.

Catania's citizens take shelter from ash and sand, which continues to rain down on this Sicilian town in southern Italy.

A stream of lava flows down a road in Zafferana, Sicily.

In this picture, smoke can be seen trailing away from Mount Etna as the volcano is framed by the town of Giarre, Sicily, with the Duomo cathedral seen on the left.

In this satellite image from Oct. 28, 2002, ash can be seen being carried as far away as Libya in northern Africa, 350 miles south of Mount Etna.

People remain in the streets in Santa Venerina, Sicily, as rivers of lava poured down the slopes of Mount Etna. The volcano spewed thick clouds of ash and magma for a third day on Tuesday, prompting officials to close some schools.

A street in Santa Venerina, Sicily, was heavily damaged on Tuesday, as a series of earthquakes- the strongest reaching a magnitude of 4.3 - shook the area.

Rosario (left) and Sebastiano Giuffrida stand in front of their heavily damaged house.