Lava from La Palma eruption flows into waters of Atlantic
LA PALMA, HOME TO ABOUT 85,000 PEOPLE, IS PART OF THE VOLCANIC CANARY ISLANDS, AN ARCHIPELAGO OFF NORTHWEST AFRICA.
LOS LLANOS DE ARIDANE, CANARY ISLANDS: A bright red river of lava from the volcano on Spain’s La Palma island tumbled over a cliff and into the Atlantic Ocean, setting off giant plumes of steam and toxic gases that forced local residents outside the evacuation zone to remain indoors on Wednesday.
The immediate area had been evacuated for several days as authorities waited over a week for the lava that began erupting on September 19 to traverse the 6.5km to the island’s edge.
On the way down from the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge, the flows have consumed at least 656 buildings, mostly homes that turned out to be in its unstoppable march to the sea.
The meeting of molten rock and sea water finally came at 11pm on Tuesday. By daybreak, a widening promontory of newborn land could be seen forming under plumes of steam rising high into the area.
Experts had warned that the arrival of the lava at the ocean would likely produce small explosions and release toxic gases that could damage lungs. Authorities established a security perimeter of 3.5km and asked residents in the wider area to remain indoors with windows shut to avoid breathing in gases.
No deaths or serious injuries have been reported from the island’s first eruption in 50 years, thanks to the prompt evacuations of over 6,000 people in the first hours after the earth cracked open following weeks of tremors.
The flattening of the terrain as it approached the coast had slowed down the flow of the lava, causing it to widen out and do more damage to villages and farms.
The local economy is largely based on agriculture, above all the cultivation of the Canary plantain.
Just before it poured down a cliff into the sea at a local point known as Los Guirres, the lava rolled over the coastal highway, cutting off the last road in the area that connects the island to several villages.