QUITO - Ecuador's La Cumbre volcano, part of the Galapagos archipelago, has started to erupt, the government of the South American country reported on Sunday.

There was no immediate danger posed because the island where the volcano is located is uninhabited, the environment ministry confirmed.

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

La Cumbre on the island of Fernandina is one of numerous active volcanoes in the Galapagos, which are nearly 1,000 km (600 miles) from mainland Ecuador.

Images taken from afar and circulated on social media showed glowing lava moving through the pre-dawn darkness in the early hours of Sunday.

The volcano last erupted in 2020, following several years of activity. This eruption was likely bigger than those previously registered, authorities said. REUTERS