A study by Maria Pareschi of the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Pisa says that a volcanic collapse of Mount Etna's Eastern flank which happened 8,500 years ago likely caused a 10-storey (40 m or 131 ft) megatsunami that hit and engulfed some of the Mediterranean coastal cities within hours. Scientists point to the sudden abandonment of the village around the same time as more evidence that the tsunami happened.