Xinhua News Agency, Madrid, September 19 (Reporter Feng Junwei) A volcanic eruption occurred on the Spanish resort island of La Palma on the 19th, and more than 5,000 local people were evacuated.
According to Spanish television reports, at 15:12 local time on the 19th, the old Cumbre volcano erupted on La Palma Island.
Television images showed that a giant plume of smoke erupted from the top of the mountain, followed by magma eruption in many places, which triggered wildfires.
Currently, more than 5,000 local residents and tourists have been evacuated.
The Spanish police and the National Guard have sent helicopters and more than 200 rescuers to the scene of the incident.
According to reports, a few hours before the eruption of the volcano, a magnitude 4.2 shallow earthquake occurred in the area.
This is the highest magnitude among more than 1,000 earthquakes monitored in the last 8 days.
Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez said on social media that day that he had postponed his plan to attend the 76th UN General Assembly in New York.
According to reports, Sanchez has arrived on La Palma to inspect the disaster area and direct and coordinate rescue efforts.
La Palma is a volcanic island located in the northwestern part of the Canary Islands in Spain. It covers an area of 708 square kilometers. The highest point on the island is 2,426 meters above sea level and has a population of about 83,000.
There have been 7 volcanic eruptions on the island since records, the last volcanic eruption occurred in 1971.