5,000 evacuated as lava from Spanish volcano heads towards the sea

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez is due to visit the affected area on Monday after cancelling his trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly

Lava flows from an eruption of a volcano at the island of La Palma. Picture: AP

Lava continues to flow from a volcano that erupted in Spain’s Canary Islands off north-west Africa, but no injuries are expected in the area by officials after some 5,000 people were evacuated.

Lava was flowing on the island of La Palma toward the sea, moving at 700 metres (2,296ft) per hour, according to the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute.