site.btaForeign Ministry Advises Bulgarians against Travel to Sicily, Surrounding Islands over Two Volcanoes Becoming Active

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry Friday advised against travel to Sicily and the surrounding islands in the coming days due to the Etna and Stromboli volcanoes having become dangerously active. A statement from the Ministry's situation centre reads that the Italian Civil Protection Department has declared a change from a risk level of "green - no or very low activity", to a risk level of "yellow - low to medium activity", and has ordered municipalities and competent local authorities to be ready to implement the relevant plans for warning the population and acting in the event of volcanic activity.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs points out that Catania airport is partially closed due to the presence of volcanic ash, which has also covered a large part of the city. Airport authorities are urging citizens not to head to the airport before checking the status of their flight.

Earlier on Friday, volcanic activity on the island of Stromboli north of Sicily prompted Italian authorities to raise the alert level from code orange to code red. Residents have been urged to follow local civil protection guidelines.