Mount Etna eruption disrupts southern Italy as ash reaches airports

Mount Etna's eruption suspended flights at Catania airport on Monday as an ash cloud spread across the region, the Local Italy reported. The closure coincided with broader transport chaos already affecting southern Italy: scheduled railway maintenance in Florence has begun dividing the country's rail network, causing delays of up to three hours for passengers traveling between north and south.

The volcano's activity trapped travelers, including Oscar-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg, who broadcast a live dispatch from Italy describing her efforts to leave the island amid the eruption, according to Entertainment Weekly. The incident underscores how quickly natural events can amplify existing infrastructure vulnerabilities in the South, where airports and rail hubs already operate with thinner margins than their northern counterparts.