A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted on Wednesday, throwing ash high into the sky and sending frightened tourists fleeing their hotels.

The popular tourist destination was envolved in smoke, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

The National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV) confirmed a series of unexpected explosions on the small Mediterranean island, which began at 4.51pm local time.

Rescue services said the eruption had started fires on the western side of the small Mediterranean island north of Sicily.

source: dailymail.co.uk