La Palma volcano spews lava into night sky

On the Spanish island of La Palma, a volcano continued to spew lava and black smoke on Thursday evening.

The airport on the island shut down again earlier in the day due to ash fall from the volcano. Scientists said the course of the eruption was unpredictable. The lava has forced the evacuation of more than 6,000 people and destroyed more than 600 houses.

The ash cloud temporarily closed La Palma Airport last month. Officials said the molten rock from the crater is now flowing down straight into the sea. That has eased fears it could spread wider and cause more destruction.

The German Research Center for Geosciences, which sent a team to La Palma, said the lava flow is 6,300 meters long, more than 1,000 meters wide at its broadest point, and up to 25 meters thick. The center's volcano researcher said the situation is still tense and unpredictable.