Mt Etna

Ten people were taken to hospital suffering from light injuries caused by falling debris.

Some buildings were damaged in what was the strongest in dozens of tremors since Etna erupted on Monday.

Volcanic ash had earlier covered nearby villages and Catania airport had to temporarily suspend operations.

The earthquake struck at 03:19 local time (02:19 GMT) on Wednesday near the municipality of Viagrande.

In the village of Fleri, an 80-year-old man had to be rescued from his home. A local church was also damaged.

The crew, along with a number of tourists, were drawn to Etna in Sicily to observe the spectacle of the active volcano erupting but were caught by surprise when flowing magma hit thick snow, causing an explosion that caused rock and other material to rain down upon them.

Volcanic rocks and steam from the eruption injured at least 10 people, witnesses and media reported, and the network's science reporter who was on assignment on Etna, Rebecca Morelle, described the experience in a series of tweets.