The Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to rage three weeks after the eruption. After part of the volcano collapses, large amounts of lava leak out.
La Palma – The Canary Island of La Palma is still suffering from the severe consequences of the volcanic eruption. In mid-September, the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted for the first time in 50 years. Since then, the Spanish island has been repeatedly shaken by earthquakes and entire regions have been destroyed by newly emerging lava flows – an end is not yet in sight.
Volcanic eruption on La Palma: ash clouds several kilometers high
After large amounts of lava had already emerged from the volcano, the northern flank of the volcanic cone in the Cumbre Vieja collapsed, so that a new lava flow formed. The affected region had previously been evacuated. The island recorded its strongest earthquake since the eruption on October 7 with a magnitude of 4.1, according to the Spanish National Geological Institute. This created a side stream of lava that destroyed numerous areas.
In addition, the volcano incessantly spits out ash and smoke. The ash clouds sometimes reach a height of up to three and a half kilometers. As a result, air traffic had to be suspended on October 7th until further notice – due to the layer of ash on the taxiways, the airport was “not operational”, the airport operator Aena explained on Twitter. A bitter decision for the tourism industry, which has already suffered major losses since the volcanic eruption due to numerous cancellations.
Volcanic eruption on La Palma: Already several hundred million euros in damage
But the island’s infrastructure and agriculture have also suffered enormously since the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja. The damage caused is currently estimated at around 400 million euros. Around 1150 were destroyed by the lava making its way to the sea. 6,000 people had to leave their homes – but no one has been harmed since the outbreak.
Pictures of a cat trapped in an empty pool of water caused great excitement online. There is lava around the pool. An animal welfare organization got involved and called for help that the cat be supplied with food via a drone until it can be evacuated from the pool. (tt)
Rubriklistenbild: © Kike Rincón / dpa
