La Palma volcano: Evacuations underway after eruption on Spanish island

A volcano on Spain’s Atlantic Ocean island of La Palma erupted after a week-long build-up of seismic activity, prompting authorities to speed up evacuations.

The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute reported the eruption on Cumbre Vieja, which last erupted in 1971.

Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from a point in the volcanic ridge where scientists had been closely following the accumulation of molten lava below the surface.

About 5,000 people were evacuated after the eruption at 3:15 p.m local time on Sunday in the sparsely populated Cabeza de Vaca area, the islands’ government said.