Fears of volcanic eruption as Canary Island La Palma experiences 40 tremors in one weekend

Scientists are monitoring a volcano in The Canary holiday islands after dozens of mini-earthquakes were reported over the weekend.

More than 40 tremors were recorded in just 48 hours over the weekend on the island of La Palma, leading to speculation that the island’s active volcano Cumbre Vieja could erupt at any moment.

Some reports have included fears that any eruption could trigger a tsunami that could reach the UK.

The largest of the tremors reportedly hit 2.7 on the Richter scale but it and the others were so far under the sea that residents on the island did not feel them.

The series of tremors have been described as a ‘seismic swarm’ and the National Geographic Institute (IGN) said numbers of small tremors are not unusual in the Canary Islands.

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But the director of the IGN in the Canary Islands María José Blanco, reportedly said they had “never recorded a similar swarm” since monitoring began on La Palma and they have increased surveillance on the island to monitor the increase in seismic activity.

La Palma is home to around 86,000 people and a popular destination for tourists.

Cumbre Vieja, which means ‘Old Summit’, last erupted in 1971.