New lava flow threatens more houses on La Palma
LOS LLANOS DE ARIDANE, Canary Islands — A new river of lava has erupted from the La Palma volcano, spreading more destruction on the Atlantic Ocean island where over 1,000 buildings have already been engulfed or badly damaged by streams of molten rock.
The partial collapse of the volcanic cone overnight Saturday gave birth to a new lava stream that started to follow a similar path down the Cumbre Vieja ridge toward the western shore of the island to the ocean.
Authorities said the new lava flow is within the area that was hastily evacuated following the original Sept. 19 eruption, when 6,000 residents were forced to flee their homes and farms.
Police let residents whose homes could now be in danger make trips to save what they could. Trucks entered the exclusion zone empty and left with mattresses, furniture and other belongings.
Emergency official Miguel Angel Morcuende said experts were closely watching the delta of new land being formed off the island’s coast since the main lava flow reached the sea last week. He said parts of it could collapse, causing explosions and large waves, but it would not pose a danger since the immediate area is already evacuated.
A total of 1,186 buildings have been destroyed on La Palma and 1,228 acres have been covered with lava as of Saturday, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service.
La Palma’s airport was operational again after being closed for several days due to volcanic ash. The island is part of Spain’s Canary Islands, an archipelago off northwestern Africa that is a popular vacation destination for European tourists.