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A volcano erupted on Spain’s Atlantic Ocean island of La Palma on Sunday afternoon — forcing the evacuation of about 5,000 people from their homes that were threatened by lava flows.
Some of the homes have already been destroyed following the 3 p.m. eruption on the southern end of the island that sent huge red plumes of magma into the sky.
New eruptions continued into the night and came after a weeklong buildup of seismic activity in the area.
About 5,000 people evacuated from their homes, according to Victor Torres, president of the Canary Island.
No deaths or injuries were immediately reported, according to Mariano Hernández, president of La Palma island.
La Palma has a population of 85,000. It is one of eight volcanic islands in Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago off Africa’s western coast.
Sunday’s volcanic eruption on La Palma was the first on the island since 1971.
The initial blast on Sunday sent a lava flow in the path of homes in the village of El Paso, destroying eight homes, officials said.
Carlota Martín, who was a family plot in Todoque at the time of explosion, described the harrowing scene in an interview with The Associated Press.
“When we saw the column of smoke, we thought it could not be real, but it kept growing and we knew we had to get out of there,” said Martín.
“You leave, but you are also looking back because you want to see what will happen. Nobody knows how the lava flows will descend, but our plot and lots of houses in the area could be in the way,” said Martín.
With Post wires
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