The volcano erupted on Spain’s Canary Islands again on Sunday for the first time in 50 years.
Throughout the night, several lava flows continued to roll downhill towards built-up areas at a speed of about 700 metres per hour, RTVE reported.
Several houses have already been destroyed or damaged, the state broadcaster RTVE reported on Monday. About 5,000 people have been evacuated from endangered areas so far, according to police. The island has a total of about 83,000 inhabitants. No injuries were initially reported.
An earthquake swarm under La Cumbre Vieja began a week ago and since then there had been thousands of tremors, the strongest with a magnitude of nearly four, the INVOLCAN volcanology institute said.
La Palma is located in the far north-west of the Canary Islands, a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa.
It is 85 kilometres from the nearest larger island, Tenerife, which is very popular with tourists, and 57 kilometres from La Gomera.
The youngest of the Canary Islands last experienced a volcanic eruption 50 years ago, when Teneguia spewed lava into the air in 1971. There is no mass tourism on La Palma, unlike the better-known islands of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Tenerife.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has promised quick help to all those affected after a volcanic eruption on the Canary island of La Palma.
“The citizens of the island can rest assured because the state has sufficient resources and personnel at its disposal,” Sanchez said in the early hours of Monday. He cancelled a planned US visit and flew to the island.
(With inputs from agencies)
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