The volcano on the island of La Palma in Spain's Canary Islands violently erupted on Sunday, forcing thousands to evacuate. The eruption also forced the postponement of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's trip to New York

The volcano spewed lava and smoke into the sky, prompting authorities to issue an evacuation order for all people living in nearby towns. The eruption was the first to have occurred in over 50 years in the resort island, which is a popular tourist destination for European travelers.

Officials said they have already evacuated more than 5,000 residents living in villages near the volcano. Spain's Civil Guard said they might need to evacuate thousands more as the volcano continues to spew lava. This includes those living on the edge of the La Cumbre Vieja national park. Lava flowing from the volcano has already ignited wildfires in the area, which has destroyed some farms and homes.

 

Firefighters and rescue workers from neighboring islands in the Canary archipelago have already been dispatched to La Palma. The Spanish prime minister has reportedly joined the military national emergency response unit, which is already on the island. Sanchez was scheduled to fly to New York ahead of the United Nationals General Assembly. He decided to postpone his trip after learning of the volcanic eruption.

Researchers monitoring the volcano said it began spewing lava into the air at around 3:15 p.m. Sunday. Molten lava also flowed down its sides, burning everything in their path. Scientists had been aware of increased seismic activity in the area, leading them to predict that an eruption was imminent. A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was detected shortly before the volcano erupted.

On Monday, the volcano continued to erupt sporadically. Researchers said at least two open mouths have been belching magma into the air, which then flowed in streams down the mountain.

La Palma is one of the smallest islands in the Canary archipelago with only about 85,000 residents. The last time the volcano on the island erupted was in October 1971. The previous eruption lasted for about three weeks and resulted in one fatality - a tourist who inadvertently inhaled toxic gases while watching a river of lava.