The volcano Cumbre Vieja still spits lava on La Palma. The authorities are imposing curfews on two towns on the island.
Las Palma – A new lava flow is making its way on the Canary Island of La Palma. Almost two weeks after the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja * volcano, a new stream has formed on a slope of the mountain. This is reported by the French news agency AFP, referring to information from the Spanish Institute for Geology and Mining.
Due to the ongoing activity of the volcano on La Palma, curfews have been imposed on two locations. The citizens of Los Llanos de Aridane and El Paso are not allowed to leave their homes until further notice. The reason is poisonous gases that could have been released by the volcanic eruption. This is reported by the online edition of the ARD Tagesschau. Around 3,500 people are said to be affected by the curfew.
Volcanic eruption on La Palma: Lava reaches the sea around the island
Since the beginning of the current volcanic eruption on La Palma, more than 80 million cubic meters of lava have been released. This was reported by the President of the Canarian Regional Government, Ángel Víctor Torres. Last week the lava reached the sea around the island for the first time. Since then a more than 20 hectare headland has formed there. This continues to grow and significantly enlarges the island of La Palma. If the lava hits water, it cools down quickly. This creates large amounts of smoke and toxic gases, which is why a safety area of 3.5 kilometers has been set up.
So far, the residents of the island of La Palma got off lightly. There were neither injured nor dead. 6000 of the almost 85,000 inhabitants of the island had to be evacuated. Air traffic to the island, which is popular with tourists, had to be completely suspended at times. The volcano’s lava also destroyed hundreds of buildings and hundreds of hectares of banana plantations.
Volcanic eruption on La Palma: The last eruptions were a long time ago
On Sunday, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has already visited La Palma twice since the outbreak began, wants to return to the island.
The volcano last erupted in 1971 and 1949. A total of three people were killed in these outbreaks. Two of them died after inhaling noxious gases. (dil / dpa) * fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
Rubriklistenbild: © Miguel Calero via www.imago-images.de
