Firefighters retreat as volcanic explosions increase in La Palma

LA PALMA: Intensifying volcanic explosions on the Spanish island of La Palma forced firefighters to retreat and authorities to evacuate three more towns on Friday, while airlines cancelled flights due to a huge cloud of gas and ash.

Firefighters pulled out of clean-up work in the town of Todoque on Friday afternoon as a new vent opened up in the flank of the volcano and videos shared on social media showed a massive shockwave emanating out from the eruption site.

"The volcano is in a newly explosive phase...Firefighters will not operate anymore today," tweeted the Tenerife fire service, which has been deployed to help on La Palma.