LOS LLANOS DE ARIDAN, Canary Islands (AP) – Three weeks after its eruption, which turned the lives of thousands of people, a volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma still spews endless streams of lava that never stop.
On Sunday, authorities watched a new flow of molten rock that destroyed more than 1,100 buildings. Everything in the lava path – homes, farms, swimming pools and industrial buildings in predominantly agricultural areas – has been used up.
As a result of the collapse of part of the volcanic cone on Saturday, a stream of bright red lava gushed from the Cumbre Vieja ridge, which originally split on September 19. The rapidly flowing jet carried away huge chunks of lava, which had already solidified. Soon the industrial park was taken over.
“We cannot say that we expect the eruption that began 21 days ago to end anytime soon,” said Julio Perez, regional security minister for the Canary Islands.
La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands, an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off northwest Africa whose economy depends on the cultivation of Canary plantains and tourism.
New rivers of lava no longer triggered the evacuation of residents, as they are all in the exclusion zone created by the authorities. About 6,000 residents were promptly evacuated after the first eruption.
Government experts estimate that the largest of the lava flows is 1.5 km (0.9 mi) long at its widest point, while the new earth’s delta, which forms where lava flows into the Atlantic Ocean, has reached a surface of 34 hectares. (84 acres).
A scientific committee advising the government said that if the delta continues to grow in the sea, parts of it could break off. According to committee spokesman Jose Maria Blanco, this will lead to explosions, gas emissions and large waves, but should not pose a danger to those outside the restricted area.
The Canary Islands tourism industry has already been hit hard by the pandemic, and officials have urged tourists not to stand aside.
“This eruption affected part of the island, but La Palma is still a safe place and has a lot to offer to those who visit it,” said Mariano Hernandez, the island’s leading authority.
The last eruption on La Palma 50 years ago lasted just over three weeks. The last eruption in all the Canary Islands occurred underwater off the coast of El Hierro in 2011 and lasted five months.
