It is the first eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma in 50 years. The situation remains critical.
La Palma – Due to large amounts of volcanic ash, commercial air traffic with the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma was still interrupted on Saturday.
Flights to the neighboring islands of Tenerife and La Gomera have been resumed, the airline Binter announced on Twitter. Ferries from La Palma to Tenerife were not affected. The crossing takes about four hours.
The strength of the eruption of the volcano Cumbre Vieja in the south of La Palma had increased the day before. It emitted large amounts of ash, smoke, lava and rocks, which also flew further than before. Firefighters and other helpers had to withdraw. Another three small towns with several hundred inhabitants were evacuated as a precaution. On Saturday the volcanic activity subsided somewhat.
Around 6,000 people have been brought to safety since the outbreak began last Sunday. So far, the lava has destroyed 420 houses and buried 190 hectares under itself. That corresponded to about 265 soccer fields. On Saturday it was still unclear how long the volcano’s first eruption would last in 50 years. dpa
