Glowing hot lava eats its way. Another 800 residents had to leave their homes on La Palma. In the shortest possible time they try to save what can be saved.
La Palma – For more than three weeks, the residents of the Canary Island of La Palma have been largely unconscious exposed to the unpredictable volcano in the Cumbre Vieja.
While the island is repeatedly shaken by light to medium earthquakes, the lava, which was up to 1200 degrees Celsius, pushed inexorably meter by meter through the valley of Ariadne towards the Atlantic on Wednesday. According to experts, there is no end in sight to the outbreak.
Houses are evacuating in great haste
The hissing of the volcano, which is drowned out again and again by the thunder of explosive discharges, and ash rain accompanies people at every step, pulling their nerves. But they don’t give in. Around 800 other people, who had been called to evacuate the day before because of the approaching lava, were able to bring most of their belongings to safety, as the state TV broadcaster RTVE reported.
TV pictures showed how residents were clearing out their houses in great haste, important papers, mementos, furniture, dishes, washing machines, televisions, mattresses, blankets, bed linen, mopeds, bicycles, toys, clothes, everything of value was loaded onto trucks . Some even unscrewed the taps, reported the newspaper “La Vanguardia”. People would look like thieves of their own household effects if they rummaged through cupboards again and again so as not to forget anything, wrote “El País”.
People get to safety
But the most valuable thing, the houses themselves, their homes, had to be left behind by the people. Through open doors a jumble of furnishings could be seen that could not be taken in the rush. After that, the only thing left for the people to do was hope for the miracle that the lava would spare their house.
With the new evacuations, the number of people who have had to get to safety since the volcano’s first eruption in 50 years rose to around 7,000.
Since September 19, 1,458 buildings have been destroyed or badly damaged and almost 660 hectares have been buried under lava and volcanic ash. Including ever larger parts of banana plantations, from which the island’s main export good comes. The island government assumed damage amounting to at least 400 million euros two weeks ago. A more recent estimate has not yet been released.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was expected on Wednesday afternoon for his fourth visit since the volcano erupted. Spanish media reported, citing the government, that he wanted to get an idea of the situation on site and assure the authorities and residents of the island of solidarity from across the country.
According to the operator Aena, the island’s airport was operational, but was only served by a few airlines such as Binter. Air traffic to the other major tourist islands in the Canaries – Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria or Lanzarote – ran normally. dpa
