Watch: La Cumbre volcano on Galapagos archipelago blows its top

The La Cumbre volcano on the remote Galapagos island of Fernandina blew its top late Saturday (March 2), said the South American country's Geophysical Institute.

Are people in danger?

Even with the spewing lava, there is no immediate danger, said the environment ministry, as quoted by Reuters. This is because the island where the volcano is located is uninhabited.

Fernandina Island, which has no hotels or restaurants, can only be accessed for short visits from a cruise boat.

The Geophysical Institute has advised tourists to stay away if any lava enters the sea.

"Gas emission and thermal anomalies were detected through satellite systems," said the ministry in a statement. It added that while they would continue to monitor the volcano, the eruption is not expected to affect tourism on the islands.

It said that La Cumbre blew a gas cloud about three kilometres into the air, which was dispersed by the wind without passing over other islands with human settlements, such as the neighbouring Isabela.

La Cumbre has previously erupted three times — in 2017, 2018 and 2020. It stands 1,463 metres (4,799.87 feet) high and has the highest eruption rate among all the volcanoes in the archipelago.

This eruption was likely bigger than those previously registered, authorities said.

Watch it here:

Galapagos archipelago

The volcano is part of the Galapagos archipelago. It is one of the numerous active volcanoes in the Galápagos, located nearly 1,000 km (600 miles) from mainland Ecuador. The archipelago, as per an AFP report, boasts flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world.

Famous British scientist Charles Darwin, who developed the ground-breaking theory of evolution by natural selection in the 19th century, reportedly developed his theory by observing the archipelago's wonders.

(With inputs from agencies)