The volcano has been active on the island of La Palma for more than ten weeks. Now there are concerns about a place that was previously spared from the lava flows.
La Palma – A new lava flow on the Spanish volcanic island of La Palma threatens the previously spared place La Laguna. The liquid rock, which has a temperature of up to 1,300 degrees, is emerging from a new chimney and is still one and a half kilometers from the outskirts, reported the state TV broadcaster RTVE on Tuesday.
However, the speed with which the lava rolls towards the sea has decreased somewhat and the direction could still change. The approximately 1200 residents of La Laguna had already been evacuated in October.
Lots of earthquakes
The Atlantic island off the west coast of Africa had been shaken again by more than 100 light to medium earthquakes in the past few hours. The most violent had a strength of 5.0 and could be felt all over the island.
Since the volcano erupted more than ten weeks ago, on September 19, the lava has destroyed or damaged 2,748 buildings, according to new information. According to this, a total of 1115 hectares were last covered by a meter-thick layer of lava. This area corresponds to more than 1500 soccer fields. More than 7,000 residents have had to get to safety since the volcano erupted. An end to the outbreak was not in sight. dpa
