Tourists told to heed warnings after Etna eruption

CATANIA, Italy (Reuters) - Tourists have been told to check for warnings before climbing towards the summit of Italy's Mount Etna after an eruption sent hikers scurrying for safety.

Video footage from Monday's eruption showed dozens of people hurrying down a path as a large plume of ash rose behind them from the volcano on the eastern side of the island of Sicily.

Salvo Cocina, the head of Sicily's Civil Protection Department, said dozens of hikers had ventured on to Etna despite a warning issued early on Monday morning after initial signs of increased activity on Europe's largest active volcano.

"There was a big explosion and a crater collapsed but luckily it fell into a deserted area," he told Reuters on Tuesday.

"It's very hard to block access, you can't fence it off," he added.

Cocina said those on the mountain on Monday, who had climbed to a height of some 2,700 metres, appeared to be properly equipped and he acknowledged the need to balance safety concerns with the desire of tourists to enjoy the views.

Nobody was injured in Monday's eruption and the alert for volcanic activity had been downgraded to the more standard "yellow" level on Tuesday.

(Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)