LIVE – Updated at 05:00. Tours are returning to the slopes of Mount Etna after its largest eruption in four years sent tourists fleeing from a vast column of gas and ash on Monday.

Volcanoes are truly some of nature’s most formidable forces. While some of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes pose serious ...

The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Toulouse issued a red aviation warning after Mount Etna’s eruption, but this has subsequently been downgraded to orange ...

Mount Etna, the volcano that towers over eastern Sicily, has again captivated the world with a spectacular show, spewing smoke and high into the sky.But the defining event of Monday’s eruption ...

People take pictures of the smoke rising over the city of Taormina during an eruption of the Mount Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, near Catania, Dec. 4, 2015.

Mount Etna, the volcano that towers over eastern Sicily, has again captivated the world with a spectacular show, spewing smoke and high into the sky.. But the defining event of Monday’s eruption ...

Mount Etna, the volcano that towers over eastern Sicily, has again captivated the world with a spectacular show, spewing smoke and high into the sky.But the defining event of Monday’s eruption ...

Mount Etna, the volcano that towers over eastern Sicily, has again captivated the world with a spectacular show, spewing smoke and high into the sky.. But the defining event of Monday’s eruption ...

Deadly past. Inspiring ancient Greek legends, Etna has had scores of known eruptions in its history. An eruption in 396 B.C., has been credited with keeping the army of Carthage at bay.

Deadly past. Inspiring ancient Greek legends, Etna has had scores of known eruptions in its history. An eruption in 396 B.C., has been credited with keeping the army of Carthage at bay.

Deadly past. Inspiring ancient Greek legends, Etna has had scores of known eruptions in its history. An eruption in 396 B.C., has been credited with keeping the army of Carthage at bay.

Etna’s latest eruption caused neither injuries nor evacuations, but sent a group of tourists on its flanks running, as captured by video posted on social media with smoke towering in the background.