Families race to salvage belongings as lava from La Palma volcano nears homes

Lava and smoke rise following the eruption of a volcano on the Island of La Palma, Spain September 20, 2021. Picture taken with drone. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

LOS LLANOS DE ARIDANE, Spain (Reuters) -Families rushed to retrieve belongings from their homes and escape the advancing lava on Tuesday, as sirens sounded and helicopters flew overhead in air filled with smoke from an erupting volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma.

Drone footage showed the lava flowing westwards to the coast in three huge tongues, incinerating everything in their path, including a school.