Etna lava destruction continues

The lava flow illuminates the ski resort of Rifugio Sapienza

MOUNT ETNA, Sicily -- Molten magma has ignited a cable car base perilously close to a ski complex on the slopes of Mount Etna.

The base station burst into flames about three miles from the restaurants and hostels of Rifugio Sapienza, halfway up the slopes of Europe's biggest and most active volcano.

Last week the lava flow destroyed the resort's car parking facilities and three central pylons of the ski lift. Despite frantic attempts to protect the base station, a wall of lava breached defences overnight on Monday.

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Etna has been spewing molten lava, ash and rock from fractures on its southern slope for the last two weeks, forcing a state of emergency in the surrounding area.

Salvatore Nunnari, of the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology, told The Associated Press the lava flow was about 165 feet from Rifugio Sapienza.

The flow threatening the resort was 500 feet wide in parts, he added, and the surrounding area was still obscured by clouds of black volcanic ash.

Despite the danger, the airport in the city of Catania, closed for a few hours on Monday, was kept open.

Thunderous booms have accompanied Etna's unpredictable eruptions over the last two weeks, some spurts of lava reaching hundreds of yards in height.

The lava flow has been threatening Rifugio Sapienza for the last few days.

A convoy of military bulldozers was sent into the area last week to help out exhausted workers building earth barriers around the complex. The river of lava threatening the village of Nicolosi, on the slopes of the mountain, appears to have stopped advancing, said AP.

Over the past few days it has settled at about two and a half miles from the town, home to about 6,000 people.

The agriculture and tourism industries have been severely damaged in the latest eruption. The government has earmarked about $8 million for recovery projects in the area but locals are pressing for more, said AP Etna's last major eruption was in 1992. The volcano, which towers 10,860 feet above Sicily, comes to life every few months.