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, forcing 5,000 people to be evacuated.
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Hundreds of people have been forced to flee their homes on the Canary Island Credit: AFP 8
Smoke and ash began pouring into the sky forcing Brits to flee their homes Credit: EPA 8
The eruption could be seen from miles away Credit: AFP
Brits planning to travel to and from the luxury holiday destination have been put on alert after the volcanic activity in the last week.
The British government said this evening: "On Sunday 19 September 2021, at approximately 15.15 local time, there was a volcanic eruption on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma.
“The immediate area of Cabeza de Vaca, El Paso has been evacuated.
"If you are in an affected area you should follow the advice of local authorities, including social media updates from Cabildo de La Palma.
“If you are planning to travel to the island imminently you are encouraged to contact your tour operators and airlines."
An evacuation plan designed by the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan is underway as a result of the volcanic eruption in 'Cumbre Vieja', in the area of Cabeza de Vaca.
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The volcanic eruption alert has gone from yellow traffic light to red in the area.
Emergency services in the area recommended that people remain calm, keep their doors and windows closed and keep key documents on them.
People are also encouraged to keep their phone and a battery operated radio on them at all times and those with animals should follow evacuation guidelines.
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.
A 3.8-magnitude quake was recorded before the eruption as vibrations from the seismic activity were felt on the surface.
One black lava flow with a burning tip was sliding toward some houses in the village of El Paso.
Mayor Sergio Rodriguez said 300 people in immediate danger had been evacuated from their homes and sent to the El Paso’s football field.
The Civil Guard added that the evacuation affects more than 5,000 people from different districts in the municipalities of El Paso, Tazacorte and Los Llanos de Aridane.
THOUSANDS OF TREMORS
Roads were closed due to the explosion and authorities urged the curious not to approach the area.
La Palma has a population of 85,000 and is one of eight islands in Spain's Canary Islands.
Last week Spain's National Geographic Institute said it detected 4,222 tremors in what scientists are calling an earthquake swarm around La Palma island since last Saturday.
An earthquake swarm is a cluster of quakes in one area during a short period and can indicate an approaching eruption.
Since last Saturday, there have been almost a thousand earthquakes on the islands.
On Tuesday, the Canary Island's regional government put the island on a yellow alert for eruption.
Itahiza Dominguez, head of seismology of Spains National Geology Institute, told local TV station RTVC that although it was too early to tell how long this eruption would last.
The last eruption on the Canary Islands occurred underwater off the coast of El Hierro island in 2011 and that lasted five months.
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Red plumes shot out of the La Cumbre Vieja volcano Credit: AP 8
A column of smoke and ash coming from Cumbre Vieja Credit: AFP 8
The eruption came after a week of seismic activity Credit: Reuters 8
Thousands of people have been evacuated Credit: AFP
Brits flee Canary Island after volcano eruption forces 5,000 to evacuate
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