Volcano on uninhabited Galapagos island erupts, sends lava flowing to sea

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A volcano on an uninhabited island in the Galapagos has begun erupting and lighting up the nighttime sky as lava tumbles down its sides toward the sea. The La Cumbre volcano on Fernandina island began erupting Saturday around midnight. Officials with Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute say it could be the volcano’s largest eruption since 2017. The 4,842-foot volcano last erupted in 2020. The island is home to a number of species including a giant tortoise that was found in 2019 after not being seen in more than a century and feared extinct.