BRITS are facing apocalyptic scenes after the eruption of a volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma sent 1,000C lava streaming towards towns and forced 500 tourists to flee.
On Sunday afternoon, huge red plumes with black and white smoke rose from the La Cumbre Vieja volcano. A river of scorching volcanic lava flowed down to the mountain and swallowed 20 homes in El Paso.
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Local authorities have evacuated about 5,000 people from four villages, including El Paso and Los Llanos de Aridane, Canary Islands regional president Angel Victor Torres said on Monday morning.
Around 500 tourists were saved from Puerto Naos by the hotel. Holidaymakers were also offered emergency accommodation in Santa Cruz’s old barracks.
Mayor Sergio Rodriguez said the molten rock was now spreading through the village of Los Llanos de Aridane “where hundreds of houses are at risk”.
The terrifying footage showed the moment that a river of orange-topped volcanic rocks approached a house. Firefighters attempted to stop it with desperate efforts.
Dramatic video captured the moment lava burst through the windows on the ground floor of the house and crashing into the dining room.
The luxurious home was among 20 others that were submerged by the volcanic lava.
Another video showed another flow of lava surrounding a house, as it vanished under a plume o black and white smoke.
A local who filmed the destruction said: “The lava’s heading in the direction of those homes and is going to eat them up. All the properties in the area below this road the lava is crossing at the moment are going to disappear.”
But no further evacuations are likely to be needed as the lava races towards the Atlantic Ocean, Torres said.
“The lava is moving towards the coast and the damage will be material,” He stated that he was confident. “According to experts there are about 17-20 million cubic meters of lava.”
Brits visiting the luxury holiday spot have been warned to be on the lookout for volcanic activity after it began to rumble last week.
According to the British government, a volcano erupted on La Palma’s Spanish Canary Island. This occurred at around 15.15 local time.
“The immediate area around Cabeza de Vaca has been evacuated.
Follow the instructions of local authorities if you are located in an affected region, including any social media updates from Cabildo De La Palma.
“If you are planning to travel to the island imminently you are encouraged to contact your tour operators and airlines.”
After the eruption, an evacuation plan was put in place. Emergency services in the region advised people to remain calm and keep their windows and doors closed. They also recommended that they keep important documents and key documents with them.
People are advised to always have a phone and a rechargeable radio on them. Animal owners should follow evacuation guidelines.
Cumbre Vieja, which is situated on the southern side of La Palma’s island, is a part of a ridge. It has been active twice in the 20th Century: once in 1949 and again two years later in 1971.
Following a week-long period of seismic activity that saw around a thousand people evacuated their homes, the eruption took place.
The eruption was preceded by a 3.8 magnitude earthquake. Vibrations from seismic activity could be felt on the surface.
THOUSANDS OF TREMORS
Roads were closed due to the explosion and authorities urged the curious not to approach the area.
La Palma is home to 85,000 people and is one eight Canary Islands in Spain.
Spain’s National Geographic Institute last week reported that 4,222 earthquakes were detected in an earthquake swarm, which scientists call an earthquake swarm. It occurred around La Palma since last Saturday.
An earthquake swarm refers to a group of quakes occurring in a single area over a short time. It can be a sign that an eruption is imminent.
Nearly a thousand earthquakes have struck the islands since Saturday.
The Canary Island’s Regional Government placed the island on yellow alert for possible eruptions Tuesday.
Itahiza Dominicuez, the head of seismology at Spain’s National Geology Institute, said that while it was too early for a prediction of how long the eruption would last, she believed it to be a good idea.
The Canary Islands’ last eruption was in 2011, which occurred off El Hierro island. It lasted for five months.
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