Brits visiting Canary Islands issued urgent warning after terrifying new development

The quakes were sparked by eruptions from an underwater volcano, the summit of which is just 500 metres below sea level

Top British holiday hotspots in the Canary Islands have been rocked by 48 hours of seismic activity, with 30 rumbles recorded in 48 hours.

The Enmedio volcano - an underwater volcano around 1640ft below sea level - is said to have triggered the quakes. The volcano, which is found in the sea between Tenerife and Gran Canaria, erupted 30 times between September 12 and 14. Between Septmber 7 and 12, it erupted 39 times.

The strongest of the rumbles - a 3.6-magnitude tremor - was measured in the early hours of September 12. Tremors are common in this part of the world, but the frequency is a cause for concern.

The eruptions are not likely to cause a problem on the islands themselves, with the "probability of an earthquake in the area of the Enmedio volcano reaching a magnitude sufficient to cause damage is very low", according to the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan).

There have been several eruptions recorded on the islands in the past few years, with lava spewing out of the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands from September 19 to December 13, 2021. The erutpions rolled on for 12 weeks. Though there were no fatalities, more than 1,000 homes and 43 miles of road were destroyed.

Last month, a major earthquake measuring a forceful 7.1 hit the west Japan city of Miyazaki, which was felt by an estimated 11.2million people. An aftershock of 4.8 struck around an hour later, although there were no reports of any deaths.

It followed a major disaster on New Year's Day when the country was hit by a 7.5 quake north of the city of Suzu, killing at least 360 people.

In the same month, residents in Iceland were ordered from their homes after powerful volcanic eruptions rocked the nation.

Police ordered an evacuation of homes in the path of a lava flow, which is was said to have been travelling around 1km in ten minutes. Icelandic police wrote on Facebook : “Volcanic eruption started on the Reykjanes Peninsula yesterday at 9.26 pm.

“It followed a powerful earthquake that began about an hour earlier. This is the fifth eruption this year, the sixth in these areas and the seventh magma run of this event.

“The greatest power is in the northern part of the eruption, and the activity is much further north than has been seen before.

“Air traffic to and from Iceland is operating normally, and Iceland remains a safe destination. The eruption’s effects are localized to the eruption site with road closures and do not threaten people. All services in Iceland are operating as usual.

“Icelandic authorities and the public are highly prepared for such events, and Iceland has one of the world ’s most effective volcanic preparedness measures. Iceland’s geoscientists possess vast experience in dealing with volcanic activities.”