UK holidaymakers have been left stranded in Sicily after a huge ash cloud from Mount Etna's latest eruption grounded flights out of the island. Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe, has erupted multiple times throughout July and August.
On August 7, Evgenia Filimianova, 39, from London, flew from Athens to Catania, Sicily, to attend a friend's wedding in Taormina with her husband. They were one of the last flights from Athens allowed to land at Catania Airport, the biggest airport on the island.
Flight cancelled at the last minute
After travelling to Catania Airport for their flight back home on August 11, they found out their flight was cancelled thirty minutes before it was set to depart. The couple are still stranded in Sicily, trying to find their way back home.
Meanwhile, their seven-year-old daughter is stuck with family in Athens. "We were having a very nice day in Taormina, at the wedding, enjoying our time there, but we could see the eruption and the volcano spewing lava," Evgenia, a journalist, said. "Our daughter is in Athens. We have to get back to her."
When Evgenia and her husband first landed in Sicily, they watched Mount Etna erupting from the wedding venue in Taormina. "It's an incredible thing to be able to witness," she said. "I've never seen anything like that before. I wasn't necessarily scared, but it was concerning. I was just in awe.
"The locals seemed very chill. And we didn't get any emergency texts or direction from the people at the hotel, so we weren't too worried. But then I started reading about travel. As soon as there is ash, the airports start closing."
Airport closed and transport fully booked
Evgenia and her husband stayed in Taormina until they travelled to Catania for their flight back home which was scheduled for August 11. "We arrived at Catania airport and there were loads and loads of people there," she said.
"There were people sleeping on the floor, families stuck, just lots of people all trying to get out. We waited for our flight, and then 30 minutes before we were meant to depart, it was cancelled and rescheduled for the next day."
Evgenia and her husband spent the night in a hotel, hoping to fly without problem the next day. But Catania Airport has announced there will be no arrivals or departures due to the ash cloud above the island.
"It feels like there is no way out," she said. "The buses and trains are fully booked, the airports are closed, the taxis are too expensive, the hotels are getting booked up. Every option to travel is already taken by someone else.
"My daughter is staying with family in Athens, we have to get back to her. She's upset, like any child would be, and so are we. She's in good hands, but this was not the plan."
Plan to travel via Malta
The couple are now planning to get to Malta and then make their way back to Athens from there. "The plan is to get a cab to the bus station, then a three hour bus to Porto di Pozzallo, then a ferry to Malta, then a cab to a hotel, stay there overnight and then a cab to the airport. And then we're just hoping we'll be able to fly to Athens."
However, Evgenia said some of the other wedding guests who made it to Malta are now stuck there, because of the way the ash is moving. "It's like The Odyssey," she said. "We're Greek, and we're trying to get back there, and there are all these hurdles along the way."
The couple have already spent a huge amount of money on emergency travel and accommodation. "We must have already spent at least £1,000. And we don't even know if our insurance will pay out," she said. "Emotionally, it's not easy. It's stressful and tiring and we weren't prepared for it. We're acting like 24/7 booking agents. I'm constantly on the phone, constantly figuring out connections and travel."
Currently, Catania Airport has suspended all arrivals and departures until 4pm on August 13, but they have advised everyone to check the local travel advice before making their way to the airport. Flights are still operating from Palermo Airport on the north of the island, but Evgenia has said that flights from there are fully booked.
