Image copyright AFP Image caption The volcano erupted after a number of earthquakes opened up fissures

The Sierra Negra volcano on the Galapagos island of Isabela is spewing fountains of lava and plumes of ash.

Fifty people have been evacuated from the surrounding area and tourists have been barred from visiting it.

The eruption started after two strong earthquakes opened up fissures in the 1,124m-high (3688ft) volcano.

It comes 11 days after the Cumbre volcano, the most active on the Galapagos, erupted on the uninhabited island of Fernandina.

The Sierra Negra volcano is located on the south-eastern tip of Isabela, the largest of the 18 main islands which make up the Galapagos Archipelago.

The Galapagos which are located about 1,000km (621 miles) off the coast of Ecuador are one of the most volcanically active regions in the world.

Sierra Negra last erupted in 2005. Night-time photos showed lava flowing down to the sea.

Image copyright AFP

Image copyright AFP

The Galapagos National Park authorities said tourists would not be allowed near the volcano or the area of El Cura, but said they were welcome to visit the rest of the island.

Thousands of tourists visit the Galapagos Islands every year, drawn by its unique biodiversity and its pristine environment.

The variety of wildlife on the island famously inspired Charles Darwin to conceive the theory of evolution. </s> Mexico's Colima volcano erupts, forcing nearby communities to evacuate

Updated

Mexico's Colima volcano has erupted, spewing a large plume of ash and thick black smoke into the sky and forcing the evacuation of two nearby villages.

Chief of National Emergency Services, Luis Felipe Puente, said some 350 villagers living in the shadow of the volcano in the towns of La Yerbabuena and La Becerrera had been evacuated to a nearby shelter.

The volcano is located in western Mexico between the states of Colima and Jalisco, about 500 kilometres from Mexico City.

It is one of the most active volcanoes in the country and Central America.

Colima, also known as fuego — or fire — has had more than 30 periods of eruption since 1585, including several significant eruptions in the late 1990s.

Scientific monitoring of the volcano began 20 years ago.

Reuters

Topics: volcanic-eruption, mexico

First posted
Sierra Negra erupts on the island of Isabela, the largest island of the Galápagos archipelago. Authorities have arranged evacuations and banned tourists from the area.