Volcano erupts on the Canary Island of La Palma, forcing evacuations

A volcano erupts in the Canary Islands.
(Image credit: Desiree Martin/AFP via Getty Images)

A volcano erupted Sunday near the southern end of the Canary Island of La Palma, sending lava down toward two villages.

There had been seismic activity in the week leading up to the eruption, and authorities had already started evacuating some residents and farm animals from the villages, Reuters reports. About two hours after the volcano in the Cumbre Vieja national park erupted, more than 5,000 residents were ordered to evacuate from four villages.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.