Lava spews from La Palma volcano for fifth day

The volcano remained steadily active throughout the night and into Thursday (September 23) morning, pulsing lava from the mountain-side as the sun rose over the island.

Streams of black lava have advanced slowly westward since Sunday (September 19), incinerating everything in their path, including houses, schools and the banana plantations that produce the island's biggest export.

The lava has destroyed nearly 200 houses and forced thousands of people to flee.

A cloud of sulphur dioxide is expected to move east in the coming hours over the rest of the Canary archipelago, the Iberian peninsula and the Mediterranean.