Lava destroys homes as volcano on Spanish Atlantic island erupts

Smoke rises at the Cumbre Viegja volcano (Jonathan Rodriguez/AP)

A volcano on Spain’s Atlantic Ocean island of La Palma has erupted after a week-long build-up of seismic activity, prompting authorities to evacuate thousands as lava flows destroyed isolated houses and threatened to reach the coast.

The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute reported the initial eruption near the southern end of the island, which saw its last eruption in 1971.