Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain fly to La Palma to meet evacuees sheltering at a military barracks after their homes were swallowed by lava
- The Spanish royals met residents at the El Fuerte building in Brena Baja village
- La Palma volcano continues to spew lava after Mount Cumbre Vieja erupted
- Some 6,000 have been evacuated from homes on La Palma since Sunday
Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain flew to La Palma to meet locals who were evacuated after a volcanic eruption swallowed hundreds of homes.
The Spanish royals chatted with some of the 6,000 people who were evacuated from hotels and houses on the island and have since been placed at the El Fuerte military barracks in Brena Baja village.
Letizia, 49, was shocked as she discussed the trauma with the residents and visitors.
Mount Cumbre Vieja continued to spew out lava and poisonous gases overnight after entering an 'explosive new phase' of eruption, blanketing parts of the island with toxic ash today.
Queen Letizia of Spain and her husband King Felipe met those who were evacuated after a volcanic eruption on Le Palma swallowed hundreds of homes
Letizia, 49, was shocked as she discussed the erupting volcano, which yesterday entered a 'new explosive phase'
La Palma's volcano continued spewing lava, ash and toxic gases overnight after scientists warned it has entered a 'new explosive phase'
Letizia and Felipe, 53, met with some of the Guardia Civil involved in the operation and thanked members of the Spanish emergency rescue service for their work in the evacuation.
The El Fuerte barracks are being used by Spanish authorities to support their response to the volcanic eruption and later the royals will visit the La Palma council headquarters.
Letizia and Felipe met with the Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who flew in from New York after addressing the UN General Assembly.
Letizia was seen waving to royal fans ahead of the visit, where she was seen deep in conversation with victims and viewed photographs of the destruction caused by the volcanic eruption.
Queen Letizia and King Felipe were swarmed by reporters as they offered statements during their visit to the area
Queen Letizia could be seen leaning in to comfort a woman affected by the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano
King Felipe placed his hand on the arm of one woman as she cried to him after the volcano eruption
Letizia and Felipe, 53, met with some of the Guardia Civil involved in the operation and thanked members of the Spanish emergency rescue service for their work in the evacuation.
Today, locals have been warned to wash their vegetables and clothes to avoid ingesting the ash, as the eruption shows no sign of slowing down five days after it started.
A river of lava spewed from the crater is still inching its way towards the ocean, burning up homes and farms in its path.
Meanwhile effects are also being felt further afield, with a large plume of sulphur dioxide gas due to blow into Europe today, possibly falling as acid rain.
The Spanish royals chatted with some of the 6,000 people who were evacuated from hotels and houses on the island
Letizia was seen waving to royal fans upon their arrival to Santa Cruz de La Palma ahead of the visit today
Letizia was seen chatting with a victim of the volcanic eruption who has since been placed at the El Fuerte military barracks in Brena Baja village
The Spanish royals were seen deep in conversation with victims and viewed photographs of the destruction caused by the volcanic eruption
The same cloud will reach the UK by Sunday, though observers say by that point the chances of it affecting the weather will be 'very small.'
Some 350 buildings and 410 acres have already been swallowed up by the lava in La Palma, with officials warning 1,000 homes and 1,000 acres are still at risk.
Angel Víctor Torres, the president of La Palma island, warned the final bill for damages is likely to exceed £340million.
Scientists monitoring the lava flow on land warned it might never reach the sea - having previously forecast it to do so on Tuesday - and may instead pool on land, destroying more homes and farmland.
Spanish King Felipe and Queen Letizia met with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez who flew in from New York for the visit
Letizia and Felipe chatted with victims of the volcanic eruption, which began on Sunday, about their experiences
The Spanish royals are pictured speaking to a man who was evacuated from his home from window at the El Fuerte barracks
To the barracks she wore a simple white t-shirt paired with camel trousers and a brown belt, with her brown tresses tied back in a low ponytail. She is pictured speaking with a couple who were evacuated from their home
Sunday's eruption took place on a ridge known as Cumbre Vieja, which is notorious as an area of high volcanic activity and has played host to every eruption on the island since the 1600s.
It began around 3pm when a cluster of earthquakes split the ground in an area known as Cabeza de Vaca on the western slope of the volcanic ridge as it descends to the coast, with three fissures spewing out lava.
As of yesterday, 6,000 of the island's 80,000 inhabitants have so-far been evacuated from their homes, with 35,000 under emergency warning orders.
The lava stream is also threatening vast areas of farmland that crews can do little to save, with La Vanguardia reporting that some 1,000 acres could be destroyed by the time the eruption finishes - which volcanologists say may not happen for several weeks or months.
Letizia and Felipe, 53, thanked members of the Spanish emergency rescue service for their work in the evacuation
The Spanish royals are seen chatting with the emergency services members who helped in the evacuation due to the volcanic eruption
Letizia, donning a white face covering, is seen deep in conversation with a woman who was evacuated from her home
The Spanish royals also met with some of the Guardia Civil involved in the operation this afternoon
Seismic activity in the south of the island of La Palma has been 'anomalous' since 2017, with eight earthquake swarms recorded since the summer of 2020.
La Palma is one of the westernmost and youngest islands of the Canary archipelago along with El Hierro.
The island, the first largest of the Canary Islands, is regarded as one of the highest potential risks in the volcanic archipelago and therefore in-depth studies to define its state of unrest are seen as vital.
La Palma is said to be at potential risk of undergoing a large landslide which could cause a tsunami in the Atlantic Ocean.
British mother reveals 'terrifying' moment she fled her La Palma home as lava tore a path toward her house
A British mother living in La Palma has told of her plight after she was forced to flee home with her young son after a volcano on the island erupted.
Nikki Batley, 46 and originally from Essex, fled her house in the town of Todoque with her 11-year-old son John on Sunday when a series of earthquakes triggered an eruption on the Cumbre Vieja ridge.
Now staying with husband Pedro Castro Ramos at a friend's apartment, Ms Batley said she has been home only once - on Tuesday, accompanied by firefighters, to save whatever she could fit into her car.
Since then the family have been unable to do anything other than watch from a distance as a slow-moving river of lava inches towards the home, which is now just 'hours away' from being swallowed up.
Nikki Batley, 46, fled her home on La Palma on Sunday as volcano erupted and is now staying in friend's apartment with husband Pedro Castro Ramos and son John (pictured together)
Speaking to the i newspaper on Wednesday, she said the lava was expected to reach their property 'within hours' - though it has since slowed to a crawl, and the current fate of the house is unknown.
Like many others on the islands, Mr Batley said the family have no insurance and will be forced to start again 'from zero' if their house is consumed.
Describing the moment the volcano erupted on Sunday afternoon, she said: 'I honestly have never in my entire life felt so terrified. When the mouth of the volcano opened, it is literally directly above us.
'My partner immediately called saying, it’s exploded, it’s right above where you are, get out now. I had to get my mother-in-law, keep her calm, get my dog and my son and we legged it.'
Ms Batley - a musician and English teacher - has lived on the island since 1998 after moving there from her hometown of Harlow.
She met husband Pedro - a chef - 15 years ago, and the couple live with his mother in the house that she grew up in.
The 81-year-old woman was at home on the day of the eruption, with Ms Batley saying she was 'in such a state' as she was forced to leave the house behind.
John's school, which was next to the family home, will almost-certainly be damaged if-not swallowed entirely, Ms Batley added.
The family are currently staying in an acquaintance's apartment which they must vacate at the end of the month. After that, they plan to sleep in the car.
Ms Batley has set up a GoFundMe page seeking donations to help the family get back on their feet.
