Volcanic eruption on La Palma: huge fountains of fire and lava flows

Thousands of people have already been brought to safety on La Palma after the eruption of the volcano. Several houses were destroyed. There seems to be no end in sight: the volcano continues to spout fountains.

It is a mixture of hissing and rumbling that can be heard on La Palma since yesterday afternoon and is broadcast by Spanish media as a live stream on the network. A volcano in the southwest of the island emits fountains of fire, some of which are hundreds of meters high. The lava, which is more than 1000 degrees Celsius, makes its way down from the volcano towards the coast.

While scientists speak of a unique natural spectacle, residents fear for their existence. A woman from the small town of Los Llanos was already sitting on packed suitcases yesterday. When the eruption started, she ran to the car and quickly told the neighbors. She spent the night in a sports hall in a neighboring town. Just like another woman: “The volcano is only a few kilometers away from my house. We fled: my parents, my husband, my brother and me.”

At least 20 houses destroyed

The lava has caused initial damage in the nearby towns. The Mayor of El Paso, Sergio Rodríguez, speaks on Spanish television of at least 20 houses that have been completely destroyed:

The lava has eaten its way and stopped at nothing. We saw lava flows here that are at least 15 meters high. So it can destroy a lot more than was previously known.

Sánchez pledges help

Late in the evening, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez flew to La Palma. He was actually planning a trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly. But he doesn’t want to visit them until one day late. Sánchez assured the people on the island of all necessary help: “We have enough resources and staff. The residents of La Palma can rest assured. We guarantee the safety of all those who are affected by this volcanic eruption.”

It is unclear how long the volcano will continue to eject lava

Volcano researchers in the Canary Islands are now assuming that there is significantly more magma in the ground than initially thought: not eleven million cubic meters, it should be up to 20 million. But at the moment no expert dares to predict how long the volcano will eject lava. Whether it’s days or weeks.

The President of the Canary Islands Government, Ángel Victor Torres, is optimistic about the situation. The next 48 hours are crucial to assess the development, he said on TVE. It was lucky that the area around the volcano was only sparsely populated and that there had been no injuries so far.