Italy volcano erupts, closing two airports

ROME, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Europe's largest active volcano erupted late Friday, spewing ash high into the air and closing two nearby airports.

A mighty eruption of Sicily's Mt. Etna sent molten lava 1.5 kilometers down one side of the mountain and forced the evacuation of some residents of the area.

According to Italian media reports, Mt. Etna had been producing puffs of smoke in recent weeks, and it had a small eruption in December.