Cumbre Vieja: Canary Island volcano erupts forcing thousands to move to safety
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La Palma volcano erupts forcing thousands to move to safety
More than 5,000 people have been moved to safety after the eruption of a volcano on one of Spain's Canary Islands.
Ash and molten rock was thrown into the sky as the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on the island of La Palma on Sunday.
It's the first time the volcano has erupted in 50 years.
The island, which is a popular tourist destination, is home to 80,000 people and the army has been called in to help with evacuation efforts.
Several homes have already been destroyed after lava spewed downhill towards farms and villages.
Temporary shelters have been set up for those forced to leave their homes and no injuries have so far been reported.
A volcano is an opening in the Earth's crust.
Below the Earth's crust there's a red-hot liquid rock called magma.
As pressure builds, magma is pushed up through the opening with great force and that's a volcanic eruption!
Video shows the volcano on Canary Island La Palma erupting, spewing ash and lava
Canary Islands President Angel Victor Torres said 5,000 people had been evacuated by 11pm on Sunday.
He said that he doesn't expect any more people to have to leave their homes: "It is not foreseeable that anyone else will have to be evacuated. The lava is moving towards the coast," he added, explaining that any further damage shouldn't pose a risk to lives.
The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has also arrived on La Palma following the eruption.
"Everything is going according to plan, and therefore the priority is to guarantee the safety of the citizens of La Palma who could be affected as a consequence of this eruption," Mr Sanchez said on Sunday.
La Palma had been on high alert after more than 22,000 tremors were recorded in one week around the volcano.
Jonas Perez, a local tour guide, said he could still feel tremors from the eruption.
"But now the most amazing thing which I've never experienced is that the noise coming from the volcano, it sounds like... twenty fighter jets taking off and it's extremely loud, it's amazing," he added.
The Big Question: Why do volcanoes actually erupt?
The Canary Islands is a group of seven islands, that are south west of Morocco and much closer to the coast of Africa than Spain.
The islands' last volcanic eruption was under the sea ten years ago in 2011.
Cumbre Vieja on La Palma last erupted in 1971 and before that, in 1949.
- Published1 May
- Published14 August 2012
