Mount Etna Roars Into Action, Kilometres-High Plume of Smoke Rises

^{PHOTO: LAVA EXPLOSIONS ON MOUNT ETNA, CLOUDS OF SMOKE AND ASH RISING FROM ETNA, DRONE FOOTAGE OF ERUPTION SEEN FROM CATANIA}

INTERNATIONAL: A massive plume of ash steam rose into the sky over Sicily on Monday,February 21, as Italy's Mount Etna was back in action again. Large plumes of smokem,some 10-kilometreshigh rose from a southeast crater of Europe's tallest and most active volcano, spewing ash and large clouds of smoke into the sky over the surrounding villages.

The volcano's activity and the consequent ash precipitation caused the shutting down of the nearby Catania airport. The 3,330-metre-high volcano can cause spectacular views several times a year, spewing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island but rarely causing damage, while the eruptions themselves do not put the local population at risk.

The southeastern crater is at the epicentre of the activity that started on February 16 and has caused activity from the volcano multiple times in the past weeks.

Passenger Ferry in Greece Shows Charred Garage, Trucks, One Dead

^{PHOTO: VIEWS OF BURNED TRUCKS IN ROW INSIDE SHIPVIEW OF RESCUE TEAMS WALKING THROUGH BURNED GARAGE WEARING GAS MASKSSTILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF CORPSE BEING REMOVED FROM FERRYCOAST GUARD BRINGING CORPSE TO PORT AND BEING TRANSFERRED IN}

Greece's fire service released video on Monday,February 21, of the damage from a fire that ripped through a passenger ferry travelling from Greece to Italy and claiming the life of one passenger.

Rows of burned trucks could be seen inside the ferry while rescue teams walked through the charred and melted walls of the garage wearing gas masks.

Late on Sunday ,February 20, the body of one passenger who was listed as missing was found, the first reported fatality in the disaster. The dead man was found in the cabin of a truck in the ship's hold and had suffered serious burns, a fire brigade official has confirmed.

Another 10 people, all Bulgarian, Turkish and Greek nationals, are still missing, according to the coastguard. At least 281 people out of 292 were rescued on Friday when the fire has erupted off Corfu in the Ionian Sea.

Many of the passengers were truck owners or drivers transporting goods through Europe. Anxious relatives of those missing have watched as the corpse was transferred to the port of Corfu Island from the ferry. Some relatives have gathered at the port, as they await news about their loved ones.

The ferry had been on its way to the Italian port of Brindisi from Igoumenitsa in Greece when it was engulfed by flames. Earlier on Sunday rescue teams found a survivor, a man from Belarus, at the stern of the ferry, according to the coastguard, reviving hopes that other missing passengers could still be found alive.

The Italy-based company that operates the ferry has said the fire started in a hold where vehicles were parked. The ship's captain and two engineers were arrested on Friday, but were released the same day, authorities has also said.

About 60 Killed in Explosion at Burkina Faso Gold Mine

^{PHOTO: DAMAGE AT MINE SITE, BODIES AT BLAST SITE, INJURED BEING TREATED AT HOSPITAL, STATEMENT FROM LOCAL OFFICIAL}

About 60 people were killed on Monday and more than 100 injured .in an explosion at an informal gold mining site in southwest Burkina Faso. The explosion was believed to have been caused by chemicals used to treat gold that were stocked at the site.

"I saw bodies everywhere. It was horrible," recalled Sansan Kambou, a forest ranger who was at the site during the explosion. The first blast has happened about 2 p.m., with more explosions following as people ran for their lives. A large blast site of felled trees and decimated tin houses and bodies lay on the ground, covered by plastic sheets.

Burkina Faso is the fastest-growing gold producer in Africa and currently the fifth largest on the continent, with gold being the country's most important export. The industry employs about 1.5 million people and was worth about $2 billion in 2019.

It was not clear exactly what kind of gold mining went on at the site. Burkina Faso is home to some major gold mines run by international companies, but also to hundreds of smaller, informal sites that operate without oversight or regulation.

Children frequently work in these so-called artisanal mines; accidents are common. Burkina Faso, one of the world's least developed countries, is also under attack from Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State who seek control of mining sites as a means to fund their violent attacks.