Mount Etna eruption: Rapid earthquakes spark fears of fiery volcano about to blow

Residents of the ancient city of Catania on the eastern shores of Sicily were struck with panic after several shocks reverberated through Etna in just five minutes of each other. The terrifying Etna which only sits 18miles from the coastal town, was rocked by three shallow tremors on its southern slopes. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) of Catania recorded the shocks in the early morning hours. The strongest of the quakes, of magnitude 3.3, struck at 9.50am local time just over 4 miles north of Ragalna, a small commune southeast of Palermo.