Soldiers were sent to help evacuate, the defense ministry said
A volcano erupted on the Spanish island of La Palma, part of the Canary Islands. The eruption was preceded by more than 5,400 earthquakes. One of them happened during a live broadcast by a reporter from ErTel TV. Residents of villages in the area near the volcano were evacuated.
A high column of smoke rose after the 15.15 local time eruption in the Cumbre Vieja National Park in the southern part of the island, the government said.
Shortly before the eruption, authorities had evacuated about 40 people with limited mobility, as well as farm animals, from villages around the volcano.
Soldiers were sent to help evacuate, the defense ministry said.
It is expected that there will be more evacuees from the surrounding towns.
Prior to the eruption, scientists recorded a series of earthquakes in the national park, reaching a magnitude of 3.8, according to the Spanish National Geographical Institute.
A high column of smoke is currently rising above La Palma. There is currently no evidence of material damage, but volcanic activity is expected to increase in the coming hours.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will arrive on the island later today. Due to the situation in La Palma, the Prime Minister postponed his scheduled departure for New York for today’s session of the UN General Assembly. Sanchez will arrive in the Canary Islands to follow the situation there, the press service of the Spanish government announced.
The first described eruption on the island of La Palma was in 1430, according to the institute. The last eruption in 1971 killed one person while taking pictures near lava flows, but there was no damage.
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