ISLANDERS FLEE AS BURNING LAVA ENGULFS HOMES
LA PALMA: The Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish-controlled Canary Islands has erupted violently, spewing out lava, ash and a huge column of smoke and forcing the evacuation of some 5000 local people.
Cumbre Vieja, which last erupted 50 years ago, straddles a ridge in the south of La Palma island, home to about 80,000 people.
“The eruption started in the Cabeza de Vaca zone in El Paso,” the local government said. The evacuation was obligatory as a dozen areas were placed on a maximum alert and temporary shelters were opened.
“People are asked to be extremely careful and to stay away from the eruption zone to avoid needless risk,” the government added.
The head of the Canaries region, Angel Victor Torres, said the zone was forested and “sparsely populated”. No casualties had so far been reported.
The lava reached several homes and made a number of roads impassable. According to the local government’s projections, lava flows from the volcano were moving at about 700m an hour and were likely to move southwest towards more inhabited areas.