The eruption began at around 3.15pm local time on Sunday (19 September). The UK Foreign Office has since advised people planning on travelling to the island in the Canaries imminently to contact their tour operator or airline.
Residents in the districts of Las Manchas (Manchas de Abajo, Jedey, San Nicolas and El Paraiso), El Paso, Los Llanos de Aridane, El Charco (Fuencaliente), La Bombilla (Los Llanos and Tazacorte), El Remo and Puerto Naos (Los Llanos de Aridane) have been evacuated.
The Scientific Committee of the Volcano Risk Prevention Plan (PEVOLCA) reports that the island remains in pre-eruption phase.
PEVOLCA has established a volcanic traffic light mechanism for alerting the public, which consists of four colours according to the level of risk: green, yellow, amber and red. The island is currently on yellow alert.
According to the La Palma’s tourism board, seismic activity in the area continues with localised events both at surface level and at depths up to 8km.
