Almost three weeks ago the volcano erupted on the island of La Palma for the first time in 50 years. On Thursday there was another lava flow and a strong earthquake.
Madrid / La Palma – A relatively strong earthquake and a new lava flow have caused unrest on the volcanic island of La Palma. The German press agency reported on Thursday afternoon. With a magnitude of 4.3, the tremor registered on Thursday was the most violent since the volcanic eruption two and a half weeks ago on the Canary Island, said the Spanish Seismological Institute. There is currently no end in sight to the activity of the “Cumbre Vieja” – on the contrary, the volcano seems to be becoming more aggressive *.
The quake was felt by many of the 85,000 inhabitants of La Palma, but it took place at a depth of around 35 kilometers and therefore does not pose a great risk to volcanic activity, said experts quoted by the media. Damage was initially not reported.
In the meantime, according to the regional authorities, a tributary of the lava was created. Areas previously spared have been affected, but are not very large. Plantation workers and scientists, however, should have been brought to safety in a hurry, it said.
Volcano on La Palma: Air traffic interrupted due to ash
Because of volcanic ash, air traffic to the island was interrupted for an indefinite period on Thursday, as the airport operator Aena announced. The airlines Binter and Canaryfly had announced the day before that they would no longer fly to the island from Thursday. The only option left for travelers was the sea route. The ferries take about four hours to the next larger neighboring island of Tenerife, where air traffic ran normally.
Authorities called on people near the volcano to stay at home because of the ash rain and to wear FFP2 masks and goggles outdoors. The ashes are small splinters of cold magma that the volcano has thrown into the air and that can be felt on the skin like fine pinpricks, as the newspaper La Vanguardia reported.
The volcano in the south of the island, which was previously less known to tourists than other Canary Islands such as Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria or Lanzarote, erupted on September 19th for the first time in 50 years. How long he would remain active, volcanologists could not say. It could take months, it said *.
According to official reports, the lava has destroyed more than 1,000 buildings since the eruption began. Around 6,000 people were brought to safety. There is great damage to agriculture and infrastructure. (dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
Headline list image: © Daniel Roca / AP / dpa
