While since its eruption two weeks ago, the Cumbre Vieja volcano has already emitted 80 million cubic meters of magma, a new very liquid lava flow appeared, this Friday, on
the Spanish island of La Palma, the authorities said.
According to the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME), this new flow began around 2:30 am (1:30 GMT), after the appearance of a new mouth considered very effusive on the side of Cumbre Vieja, in the archipelago of Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa.
Nearly 6,000 people evacuated
Aerial videos uploaded by IGME and the Canary Islands Volcanological Institute (Involcan) showed an impressive river of glowing lava making its way through charred ground. This new flow was added to the lava which continued to accumulate in the Atlantic Ocean this Friday, forming a vast platform of magma, the area of which exceeded 20 hectares and continued to increase.
Since its eruption on September 19, Cumbre Vieja has released “80 million cubic meters of magma,” the president of the regional government of the Canaries, Ángel Víctor Torres, told a press conference. According to the latter, this is double what was emitted in 1971 by the neighboring Teneguía volcano in twice as long. The eruption, which left no deaths or injuries, resulted in the evacuation of around 6,000 of the island’s 85,000 residents. It also destroyed 870 buildings and covered 358 hectares of land, according to the European geospatial measurement system Copernicus.
Reconstruction of disaster areas, a “priority”
After traveling six kilometers during the first days of the eruption, then coming to a virtual standstill, the lava flow eventually reached the sea overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, causing large amounts of smoke and toxic gas. In order to avoid poisoning, a safety perimeter with a radius of 3.5 kilometers, as well as a maritime exclusion zone of two nautical miles, have been set up. Authorities on the island have also asked residents of several neighborhoods to seal themselves in their homes.
In recent hours, the concentration of sulfur dioxide has increased in Tazacorte, the village closest to where the lava flows into the ocean, as ash particles have increased in density throughout the area. During a trip to the island this Friday, the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, tried to reassure the inhabitants, saying that the reconstruction of the disaster areas would be a “priority” for the government. According to Félix Bolaños, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has been to La Palma twice since the eruption began, will return to the island on Sunday.