A volcano erupted on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma on Sunday, sending lava shooting into the air and streaming in rivers towards houses in two villages from the Cumbre Vieja national park in the south of the island.
Shocking videos and photos are coming to light from La Palma, showing lava ‘devouring’ houses.
The lava wave has already incinerated 20 houses in the village of El Paso as well as some streets, Mayor Sergio Rodrκεguez told TVE radio station this morning.
Lava swallowing homes, today in La Palma, Canary Island pic.twitter.com/FFJASdpxGf
— Joaquim Campa (@JoaquimCampa) September 19, 2021
Local authorities have evacuated about 5,000 people from four villages, including El Paso and Los Lianos de Aridane.
According to Canary Islands President Angel Victor Torres, no other residents will have to leave their homes.
“The lava is moving towards the shores and the damage will be only material. “According to experts, there are about 17 to 20 million cubic meters of lava,” he said
Terrible todo esto…Ánimo La Palma!! https://t.co/neRwYvalWi
— Damian RR (@Damian_RR) September 20, 2021
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has postponed his departure to New York for the UN General Assembly in order to travel to La Palma because of the volcanic eruption.
“I am at the moment heading to the Canary Islands because of the seismic evolution, to see first-hand the situation in La Palma, the coordination of the means, and the protocols that have been activated,” Sánchez tweeted Sunday.
Torres tweeted that he would be at the Head Committee for Civil Protection and Attention for Volcanic Risk Emergencies to assess the situation in the afternoon.
Todo mi apoyo a los vecinos #LaPalma y mucho ánimo a todos los afectados e integrantes del dispositivo de seguridad en #ErupcionLaPalma del volcán #CumbreVieja. pic.twitter.com/ny7HEP5dcD
— Vicente Tirado (@vicentetiradopp) September 20, 2021
The island was on alert for a possible volcanic eruption after several earthquakes were felt over the weekend.
Earlier in the day, the volcanology institute wrote in a statement on Facebook that more than 25,000 earthquakes had been detected in the past nine days around the Cumbre Vieja volcano.
The highest magnitude registered was an earthquake of 4.2 on the Richter Scale on Sunday.
People with disabilities had already been evacuated from certain areas around the volcano and hiking trails and pathways had been closed off as a precaution.
“We call on people to exercise extreme caution and to stay away from the eruption area in order to avoid unnecessary risks,” the local government tweeted on Sunday. “Likewise, it is very important to keep roads clear so that they can be used by our land operatives.”
