In pictures: Etna erupts

After days of tremors Sicily's Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe, erupted on Wednesday.

Lava spewed out of a new fissure in the volcano at a height of 2,100 m (6,900 feet), forcing emergency services to build up defences against lava moving at 150 m (500 feet) an hour.

Mud walls were erected to guide the direction of the lava flow, while fire-fighters sprayed the magma with water.

The lava has not threatened any homes, but one man needed hospital treatment after he was hit by a rock thrown out of the volcano.

Ash and smoke had been billowing out of Etna for days

Vulcanologists have been monitoring the eruptions

Emergency services evacuated two restaurants as the lava flow poured onto a nearby road

Paramilitary police are patrolling all of the roads leading to the crater

Locals and tourists alike have been turning out to look at the lava

In June Etna was the scene of a week of spectacular volcanic activity