(CNN) A group of tourists and a BBC camera crew have made a dramatic escape after Europe's tallest active volcano , Mount Etna in Italy, erupted Thursday.

Surrounded by steam and with boiling hot rocks pelting down on them, the group sprinted to a nearby rescue vehicle that took them to safety. Ten people were injured, but none seriously, Italian news agency Ansa reports.

"Very relieved to be safe" - the terrifying moment @BBCMorelle and crew were caught up in Mount Etna eruption https://t.co/11inHwxYPO pic.twitter.com/Zz0JKmWU1v

The volcano, on the island of Sicily, has been particularly unsettled in recent weeks and the group had made the ascent to take a closer look at the ongoing volcanic activity.

Rebecca Morelle, the BBC's global science correspondent, described the group's rapid descent.

"Running down a mountain pelted by rocks, dodging burning boulders and boiling steam -- not an experience I ever ever want to repeat," she wrote on Twitter shortly after the incident, adding that it "could have been worse -- explosions like this have killed."

A satellite image of Mount Etna erupting on March 16, 2017, by the Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite.

Morelle later posted a photo on Twitter of camerawoman Rachel Price holding up a jacket with a hole burned through it by a "lump of rock".

Back at hotel now after Etna explosion. Here's @NewsCamerawoman with the massive hole a lump of rock burnt through her coat. pic.twitter.com/GVSyj3Sa9A — Rebecca Morelle (@BBCMorelle) March 16, 2017

Fire and ice

The so-called "phreatic explosion," caused by flowing lava coming into contact with snow, happened at an altitude of around 2,900 meters (9,500 feet) on a crater on the south-eastern side of the peak, causing blistering hot rocks and steam to be thrown violently into the air.

Andrea Kiss, a tourist who filmed footage of lava moving down the side of the volcano around half an hour before the eruption, told CNN that she knew something had happened when "injured people appeared at the cable car station." Kiss added that her guide told her the lava was around 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 Fahrenheit).

caution HOT 🌋🔥☄️ #italia #sicilia #etna #lava #view #scenery #travelgram #mik #cnnireport A post shared by andrea kiss (@aerdna_k) on Mar 16, 2017 at 6:45am PDT

Boris Behncke, a volcanologist with the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy, was among those observing the crater when the eruption occurred.

Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – Mount Etna spews lava during an eruption seen from Acireale, Italy, on Saturday, November 16. The volcano, found on the Italian island of Sicily, has been active for about 2.6 million years. Hide Caption 1 of 12 Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – Mount Etna produces a steam ring, a rare occurrence for volcanoes, on November 11. At approximately 3,350 meters (10,991 feet), Etna is Europe's highest and most active volcano. Hide Caption 2 of 12 Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – A tower of smoke and ash looms over the Sicilian town of Zafferana in January 2012. Etna eruptions are relatively frequent -- the past 12 months have seen a string of powerful lava fountains, flows and ash emissions. Hide Caption 3 of 12 Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – Lava pours down the side of Etna in 2011. Hide Caption 4 of 12 Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – Reporters watch lava flow down Etna in 2001. Hide Caption 5 of 12 Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – In this photo provided by NASA, Etna is seen from space spewing smoke and ash in 2001. Hide Caption 6 of 12 Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – Lava flows down Etna in 1993. Hide Caption 7 of 12 Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – A giant mushroom cloud forms over Etna as it erupts in 1989. Hide Caption 8 of 12 Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – A man near the village of Sant'Alfio watches lava flow from Etna in 1971. Hide Caption 9 of 12 Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – Lava slithers down Etna in 1951. Hide Caption 10 of 12 Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – Villagers pray for help at the foot of Etna as lava advances toward their homes in 1947. Hide Caption 11 of 12 Photos: Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna: Europe's most active volcano – An illustration shows an Etna eruption in 1669. Hide Caption 12 of 12