A 47-year-old Maltese woman suffered spinal injuries and a severe head injury on Sunday after slipping off a sled inside a crater of Sicily's Mount Etna, according to Italian media.

The woman, who suffered bruises and abrasions all over her body, was rescued from the Silvestri crater by members of the Sicilian Alpine and Speleological Rescue (CNSAS) from Etna’s south station, Italian media said.

She was rescued from the slopes by stretcher and taken to the edge of the crater before being transferred to a hospital by ambulance, after unfavourable weather conditions including fog and heavy snowfall prevented evacuation by helicopter.

The woman was taken to Cannizzaro Hospital in Catania for further treatment.

Her rescue was not the only one to take place Sunday; local media said a woman from Augusta suffered a suspected hand fracture after also falling from a sled, while a 49-year-old woman from Milazzo was rescued after falling ill.

The Silvestri Craters are a popular tourist destination and among the most visited parts of the Mount Etna, located just below the top of the volcano on its southeastern slope.

Questions have been sent to the foreign ministry.