FAMILIES SAVE BELONGINGS AS LAVA NEARS HOMES

LOS LLANOS DE ARIDANE Families rushed to retrieve belongings from their homes and escape the advancing lava on Tuesday, as helicopters flew overhead in air filled with smoke from an erupting volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma.

Drone footage showed the lava flowing westwards to the coast in three huge tongues, incinerating everything in their path, including a school.

The largest flow was advancing towards a banana plantation and water reservoir as it crept closer to the main street of La Laguna, at about 200 metres an hour, authorities said.

Authorities have warned that as it hits the sea, the lava could create a cloud of toxic gases and explosions as the molten rock cools rapidly.