A BBC team caught up in an incident on the erupting volcano Mount Etna

A BBC team and a number of tourists have suffered minor injuries after being caught up in an incident on the erupting volcano Mount Etna in Sicily, BBC news reports

"Many injured - some head injuries, burns, cuts and bruises," tweeted BBC science reporter Rebecca Morelle.

Lava flow mixed with steam had caused a huge explosion, which pelted the group with boiling rocks and steam, she said. About eight people had been injured, with some evacuated from the mountain by rescue teams, she added.

"Bbc team all ok - some cuts/ bruises and burns. Very shaken though - it was extremely scary," she relayed in one of a series of tweets as she ran down the mountain.

The BBC reporter said a volcanologist at the scene told her it was the most dangerous incident he had experienced in his 30-year-career.

Mount Etna, which is Europe's tallest active volcano, spewed lava up into the sky in the early hours of Thursday morning, for the third time in three weeks.