Photo shows Mount Etna erupting in February 2021, not July 2024

Red and black plumes rise from a volcano and cover the sky in a photo shared July 6 that appears to show a current volcanic eruption. 

“Mount Etna ERUPTS in Sicily. Catania Airport closes as ash blankets the city,” the caption of the Facebook post sharing the photo read.

(Screenshot from Facebook)

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

The photo does show Mount Etna erupting, but not in July 2024. 

A reverse-image search shows the photo was featured in two news reports about Mount Etna erupting in February 2021.

Mount Etna did erupt in July 2024, and the resulting volcanic ash fallout caused the Catania Airport to suspend arrivals and departures temporarily, as it announced at 1:30 a.m. Eastern Time on July 5. At 7:25 a.m. Eastern Time the same day, the airport said it had reopened for departures while limiting arrivals to two per hour.

In its last update at 10:33 a.m. July 5, the Catania Airport said it has “fully reopened,” though it warned about temporary delays.

But the Facebook post’s photo is years old and doesn’t show Mount Etna’s July 2024 eruption. We rate that claim False.

By

Loreben Tuquero

Staff writer

July 8, 2024

Truth-o-meter Ruling

False

IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT

• The photo shows Mount Etna erupting in February 2021, not July 2024.

• Mount Etna did erupt in July 2024, and the Catania Airport suspended operations only for a few hours. It reopened July 5.

Statement

Photo shows Mount Etna erupting in Sicily in July 2024.

Context

a Facebook post

Speaker/Target

Speaker: Facebook posts

Statement Date

July 6, 2024