After a weeklong build-up of seismic activity, a volcano on Atlantic Ocean island of La Palma in Spain has erupted on Sunday. As the magma crept towards the isolated homes on the mountain, authorities started evacuation for over thousand people from the area. The last volcanic eruption reported in the southern end of the island was in 1971, The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute stated.
La Palma, is one of the eight islands in Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago with a population of 85,000 people. Scientists had been closely observing the accumulation of lava below the surface and the slight earthquakes that happened in the area. The volcano erupted with huge red plumes shooting out of Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge.
300 people were evacuated immediately from the area and sent to El Paso soccer field, as a tip of the flowing magma started to slide down towards the houses in El Paso village. The President of La Palma island, Mariano Hernández said that even though the lava flow made worries about populated areas on the island, no deaths or casualties were reported from the site.
The evacuation process was disrupted by the people who gathered on the roads to watch the eruption. Itahiza Dominguez, the head of seismology of Spain’s National Geology Institute, told the media that eruptions on the Canary island can last weeks or even months. The last eruption lasted over three weeks, which took place fifty years ago. He also said that it is too early to tell how long this eruption would last. Experts said that stronger earthquakes are likely to occur and might cause destruction of several buildings in the area. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cancelled his visit to New York to attend the General Assembly of United Nations in order to travel to the Canary Islands.
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