A volcano has erupted on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma. Images from the area show black smoke and lava fountains from the volcano, shooting hundreds of meters into the air.
Around 5,000 people have been evacuated and around 100 homes have been destroyed.
The eruption on southern La Palma began at 3 p.m. local time on Sunday, when black smoke began to billow from the Cumbre Vieja volcano, located in one of the most active volcanic regions in the Canary Islands.
Images from the eruption show lava fountains, smoke and rock spewing up.
A series of earthquakes have shaken the island this week, and the alert level has been raised to the second level on a four-point scale. During the day, activity increased significantly and several earthquakes were recorded, the strongest of which measured a magnitude of 3.8, according to Spain's National Geographic Institute.
Millions of cubic meters of lava
Around 5,000 people have been evacuated, many to the neighboring island of Tenerife. Soldiers have been sent to La Palma to assist in the evacuation effort, the defense ministry said. About 35,000 people live near the volcano. The black, glowing lava is slowly moving forward along forest and farmland, houses have caught fire and at least 100 homes have been destroyed so far. The local mayor and other officials said this on Monday, according to Reuters.
– As far as we can judge, no more people will need to be evacuated. The lava is moving towards the coast and the damage will be material. According to experts, it is around 17-20 million cubic meters of lava, says Ángel Víctor Torres, regional government head.
According to TT, the volume of lava is equivalent to 28 filled Globen in Stockholm.
”Can change very quickly”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has postponed a planned trip to the UN General Assembly in New York and instead traveled to the island. On Twitter He has shared photos from his visit, including from a reception center for affected residents.
”We will continue to work to protect citizens and repair the damage,” Sánchez writes.
Björn Lund, a researcher in seismology at Uppsala University, is following developments from Sweden.
– So far the outbreak is relatively small. But it can change very quickly, you never know how it will continue to develop, he tells SVT Nyheter.
No injuries have been reported but the volcano is still active.
The last time it erupted was 50 years ago, in 1971. A man died when he photographed the lava.
Source: svt.se
