Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, has erupted again, lighting up the sky over much of eastern Sicily and shooting up a towering column of ash.

The eruption, which began late Saturday and tapered off Sunday morning, didn't endanger any of the villages dotting the mountain's slopes, and no evacuation was ordered.

The airport in nearby Catania said air space above the volcano was closed to flights, but that the airport itself was operating normally, including takeoffs and departures.

Etna erupts occasionally. Its last major eruption occurred in 1992.

-AP