Fiona Govan
THESE are the dramatic images of red hot lava destroying homes on La Palma in the Canary Islands as volcano continues to erupt on the Spanish archipelago.
The head of the Canaries region, Angel Victor Torres confirmed that around 5,000 people had been evacuated from their homes on Sunday as red hot lava rivers crawled towards houses in the southern part of the island.
The evacuation was obligatory in a dozen areas placed on a maximum alert and temporary shelters had been opened.
But Guardia Civil have warned up to 10,000 people may have to be evacuated as the eruption continues.
Several houses were already being destroyed by the lava although so far, no casualties to people have been reported.
Authorities on the island have repeatedly warned residents not to risk going near the lava flow or eruption in order to take images.
When the volcano last erupted in 1971 the only mortality was a man who was killed as he attempted to photograph the eruption.
Smoke began to escape from fissures that appeared along a ridge in the Cumbre Vieja national park in the south of the island around 3pm on Sunday.
The local government predicts that the lava will flow to the southwest, towards more inhabited and wooded areas, before it reaches the coast.
READ ALSO:
- Volcano eruption on Canary Island of La Palma in Spain spurs mass evacuation
- IN PICS: Dramatic images of volcano erupting on La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands
- WATCH: Volcano spews lava on Canary Island of La Palma in Spain
