Villagers in the Italian town of Nicolosi, who have been living in fear on the slopes of Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, were able to heave a sigh of relief today as lava flows eased before reaching their homes.
Etna's rumbling and explosions have succeeded each other for almost two weeks, but the lava that had been rolling ever closer to Nicolosi, whose houses lie some five kilometers (three miles) from the edge of the flow, had slowed to a crawl.
And the La Sapienza tourist center, where private vehicles were being stopped by a massive police cordon and drivers told not to proceed, has so far been spared.
The center is at an altitude of 1,910 meters (6,280 feet), well below the summit which is at 3,350 meters (almost 11,000 feet).
Pressure on craters on the flanks of the upper mountain eased after new craters opened.
Nicolosi and its 5,000 inhabitants were in the front line of the battle against the lava for several days but with slow-moving lava reaching a rather flat area on the slopes, village authorities appeared reassured - for the moment.
About 70 Nicolosi families had been served evacuation warnings as lava neared their outlying homes.
The volcano has destroyed cable car facilities, but since the lava flow slowed down experts working with bulldozers have had more time to form barriers to contain and divert it.
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Mr Gianfranco Fini viewed the spectacular eruptions and saw the damage done by the mountain during a helicopter tour today. He promised the government would rapidly unblock more than €9 million (US$7.8 million) to make up for losses to the local economy due to the eruption.
AFP