The world’s largest active volcano, Mauna Loa erupts in Hawaii

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano has erupted for the first time in almost 40 years

The flow of lava is contained mostly within the summit, but residents of the nearby area have been placed on alert and they were also warned about the risk of falling ash, earlier. According to the US Geological Service (USGS), the situation could change rapidly. The alert level of the volcano has also been upgraded from an "advisory" to a "warning", which is the highest classification.

Mauna Loa is located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which covers half of the Big Island of the US. The volcano spans an area of more than 2,000 sq. miles and rises 13,679ft above sea level. On Sunday at 23.30 local time the volcano erupted at Moku'āweoweo, the volcano's summit caldera.

This eruption followed a series of warnings that it was possible after a spate of recent earthquakes in the region. According to the USGS, the world’s largest active volcano has erupted 33 times since 1843. The last eruption in 1984 sent lava flows within 5 miles of Hilo, the most populous town on the island.