Thousands flee as volcano erupts on Spain's La Palma island, homes destroyed

The first volcanic eruption in 50 years on Spain’s Canary Islands has forced about 5,000 people, including around 500 tourists, to flee and destroyed about 100 houses, officials said on Monday.

The volcano erupted on Sunday, shooting lava hundreds of metres into the air, engulfing houses and forests, and sending molten rock toward the Atlantic Ocean over a sparsely populated area of La Palma, the most northwestern island in the Canaries archipelago.

No fatalities have been reported but the volcano was still active on Monday. A Reuters reporter saw heavy smoke coming from the volcano and houses burning.

Officials said they were