Spain Volcano

Island Hit With ‘Lava Tsunami’ As Volcano Sparks Evacuations

Ailan Evans

A volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma that erupted in September is currently spewing molten rock and threatening the island’s inhabitants, prompting evacuations, according to the Associated Press.

Rivers of lava were flowing from the volcano, which erupted on Sept. 19, following two earthquakes that struck the island in just two days, the Associated Press reported. The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute described the flows of molten rock as “a true lava tsunami,” according to the AP.

Over 300 people were evacuated from the island on Thursday, with a total of roughly 1,200 people evacuated since Tuesday and 7,000 in total since the eruption began, according to the AP.

La Palma is part of the Canary Islands archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off of the west coast of Spain. The island has a population of roughly 85,000, according to the AP.

Ash from the volcano previously caused the closure of the island’s airport, according to Euronews, and lava flow now covers around 680 hectares, or nearly 1,700 acres, according to Spanish news site AS.

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