BRITS have had to flee for their lives after being evacuated from the Canary island of La Palma because of a volcano erupting.
Huge red plumes topped with black-and-white smoke shot out, as a river of lava flowed from the La Cumbre Vieja volcano, on La Palma forcing 5,000 people to be evacuated.
Brits planning to travel to and from the luxury holiday destination have been put on alert after the volcanic activity in the last week.
British government stated this evening: “On Sunday 19, September 2021 at 15.15 local, there was an eruption of volcanic material on La Palma, a Spanish Canary Island.
Read our La Palma volcano live blog below for the latest updates…
‘IMMEDIATE DANGER’
A 3.8-magnitude quake was recorded before the eruption as vibrations from the seismic activity were felt on the surface.
One black lava stream with a burning tip was moving toward El Paso’s houses.
Mayor Sergio Rodriguez said 300 people in immediate danger had been evacuated from their homes and sent to the El Paso’s football field.
According to the Civil Guard, the evacuation affected more than 5,000 people in different areas of El Paso and Tazacorte.
FAIR WARNING
Cumbre Vieja straddles a ridge in the south of La Palma island and has erupted twice in the 20th century, first in 1949 then again in 1971.
The eruption came after a week of seismic activity that that has seen around a thousand people evacuated from their homes.
STAY SAFE
Emergency services in the area recommended that people remain calm, keep their doors and windows closed and keep key documents on them.
It is recommended that people keep their phones and a battery-operated radio with them at all times. Those who have animals should also follow evacuation guidelines.
GET OUT!
The Canary Islands Volcanic Disaster Plan has prepared an evacuation plan in response to the volcanic eruption at ‘Cumbre Vieja,’ in the region of Cabeza de Vaca.
The yellow traffic light has been changed to red for the volcanic eruption alert.