A volcano erupted for the first time in 50 years on Spain’s Canary Islands and it is still active today. According to officials roughly 5,000 people were forced to flee, including 500 tourists, and around 100 houses were destroyed. The initial eruption happened on Sunday, shooting lava hundreds of metres into the sky and all over the island.
The lava engulfed houses and forests and sent molten rock toward the Atlantic Ocean over a fairly populated area of La Palma. As of Monday, there have been no reports of fatalities but the volcano is still active. Officials said they were hoping they did not need to rescue or evacuate any more people.
The regional president Angel Victor Torres told Cadena SER radio “The lava is moving towards the coast and the damage will be material, According to experts, there are about 17 to 20 million cubic meters of lava,” Despite the situation, Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said the eruption could bring more visitors to the island.
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