Thousands evacuate as volcano erupts

A volcano on Spain’s Atlantic Ocean island of La Palma erupted Sunday after a weeklong buildup of seismic activity, prompting authorities to evacuate thousands as lava destroyed houses. New eruptions continued into the night.

The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute reported the initial eruption shortly after 3 p.m. near the southern end of the island, which saw its last eruption in 1971.

Victor Torres, president of the Canary Islands, said by 11 p.m. some 5,000 people had been evacuated.