La Palma volcano latest – 2nd Canary Island earthquake hits as 'unstoppable' lava cancels flights & destroys homes

A SECOND earthquake has hit the Canary Islands as the eruption of La Cumbre Vieja volcano continues.

The new 3.8 magnitude quake caused yet more lava to spew from the erupting volcano, although the flow is now moving through the island at a slower rate than it previously was.

Brits have had to flee for their lives and were taken to the nearby island of Tenerife to escape the flames, which has already desultory more than 100 homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate the island.

Read our La Palma volcano live blog below for the latest updates…

  • Milica Cosic

    PICTURED: LA PALMA VOLCANO ERUPTION

    The eruption of the volcano on Spanish isle La Palma has destroyed 100 homes and forced 500 tourists to flee.

    The La Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Sunday shooting 1,000C lava hundreds of metres into the air streaming towards towns and forcing thousands to evacuate.

    No fatalities have been reported but the volcano was still active on Monday as experts fear the eruption could last for weeks or even months.

    Red plumes shot out of the La Cumbre Vieja volcano Credit: AP
    Between 5,000 and 10,000 people are being evacuated Credit: Rex
    The eruption could be seen from miles away Credit: Reuters
  • Milica Cosic

    FOOTAGE SHOWS LAVA ENGULFING HOMES

    Scary footage shared on Twitter shows how the lava from the erupted volcano has reached houses.

    The lava can be seen flooding from all corners, as firefighters remain in the home.

    Another video shows mounds of hot lava burning through a home.

  • Milica Cosic

    SPANISH POLITICIANS PRAISE ‘STRENGTH’ OF LOCALS

    President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, visited people affected by the volcanic eruption in La Palma yesterday.

    Mr Torres thanked care workers on the island for their “great work” and praised the “strength” of locals who were affected.

    He took to Twitter to share photos of his visit alongside Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez.

  • Milica Cosic

    ACID RAIN NOT RULED OUT IN POPULATED AREAS

    The State Meteorological Agency says it has not ruled out acid rain, which could occur as a result of the toxic gases being released from the volcanic eruption, although it says it is 'unlikely' at this time. 

  • Milica Cosic

    SECOND EARTHQUAKE HITS AS LAVA ADVANCE IS 'UNSTOPPABLE'

    A second earthquake hit La Palma last night.

    The earthquake of magnitude 4.1 was recorded at around 9:30pm local time on Monday and was felt in several municipalities.

  • Milica Cosic

    EXPLAINED: WHEN HAS THE VOLCANO PREVIOUSLY ERUPTED?

    Cumbre Vieja has exploded twice previously: once in 1949 and again in 1971.

    The first eruption took place on June 24, 1949 and lasted for more than a week.

    The onset of the eruption was witnessed by a shepard tending his flock on a flank of the volcanic mountainside and was, too, caused by earthquakes.

    The 1971 eruption occurred at the southern end of Cumbre Vieja.

  • Milica Cosic

    'MOVEMENT OF LAVA IS MUCH SLOWER'

    Emergency coordinator, Miguel Angel Morcuende, told a press briefing on Monday evening that: "The movement of lava is much slower than it was initially … There has not been a large advance during the day".

    Despite this, new stream of lava erupted from the volcano late on Monday, prompting the evacuation of residents in the town of El Paso.

  • Milica Cosic

    KEY POINTS:

    • Island still open to tourism, minister says
    • 5,500 people now evacuated as lava continues to flow toward coast
    • Around 100 houses destroyed, however no fatalities

    PICTURED: APOCALYPTIC SCENES AS LA PALMA VOLCANO ERUPTION SENDS 1,000C LAVA TOWARDS TOWN FORCING 500 TOURISTS FLEEING

    Huge red plumes topped with black and white smoke shot out of the La Cumbre Vieja volcano on Sunday afternoon as a river of scorching lava flowed down the mountain and swallowed 20 houses in the village of El Paso.

    Local authorities have evacuated about 5,000 people from four villages, including El Paso and Los Llanos de Aridane, Canary Islands regional president Angel Victor Torres said on Monday morning.

    Around 500 tourists were rescued from a hotel in the coastal resort of Puerto Naos and offered emergency accommodation in an old barracks in Santa Cruz.



    • Milica Cosic

      RESIDENTS ON THE ISLAND EXPRESS SHOCK

      Residents on the island have expressed shock at the sudden eruption.

      Isabel Fuentes told broadcaster TVE: "When the volcano erupted today, I was scared. For journalists it is something spectacular, for us it is a tragedy. I think the lava has reached some relatives' houses,."

      Monica, a teacher on the island, told the newspaper El País: "It's exciting.

      "But at the same time it's worrying, because there are many houses threatened by lava."

    • Milica Cosic

      REASSURING TOURISTS ALREADY ON LA PALMA

      Speaking on Monday morning, Reyes Maroto said the government wanted to reassure tourists already on La Palma, or ones who are heading there, that the island was still safe despite the eruption.

      Reyes said: “The most important thing right now is reassuring tourists who have been affected, and also those who may be travelling to the island today or during the course of the week.

      “We’re providing information so that tourists can travel to the island and witness something undoubtedly unprecedented for themselves. That information will let tourists know that the island is open and also whether their hotel has been affected so they can stay elsewhere and enjoy their holidays.

      “We can also make the most of this as an attraction so that a lot of tourists who want to enjoy what nature has brought to La Palma can do so in the coming weeks and months.”

    • Milica Cosic

      PEDRO SANCHEZ VISITS AREA AND PRAISES SCIENTISTS WHO MONITORED ERUPTION

      Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the affected area on Monday after cancelling a trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

      He praised scientists for monitoring the eruption, saying their work was “fundamental” in avoiding casualties, and promised that his government would help local people rebuild their lives.

      The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute reported the initial eruption shortly after 3pm on Sunday near the southern end of the island, which saw its last eruption in 1971.

      A 4.2-magnitude quake was recorded before the eruption, which took place in an area known as Cabeza de Vaca on the western slope as the ridge descends to the coast.

    • Milica Cosic

      “THIS IS A CATASTROPHE.”

      One of the houses that was destroyed by the lava flow was that of Alberto, a man in his forties who lives in El Paraíso.

      He had nervously awaited news of his property last night, saying: “yesterday I was unsure, but today they confirmed that the lava has swallowed up my house.

      “This is a catastrophe.”

      Among the 5,000 people were Gerhard Beck and his wife. They ended up at a military camp after a night of being constantly moved from one place to another.

      “We don’t know what happened to our house, but we fear the worst… We are going to a hotel for two days now. They have treated us well, but we’ve been very scared, really scared”, he explained.

      They were evacuated from their homes yesterday, and along with 300 other people spent the night at the El Fuerte barracks on the outskirts of the island capital.

    • Milica Cosic

      THOUSANDS OF TREMORS

      A 3.8 magnitude quake was recorded before the eruption as vibrations from the seismic activity were felt on the surface.

      Last week Spain’s National Geographic Institute said it detected 4,222 tremors in what scientists are calling an earthquake swarm around La Palma island since last Saturday.

      Since last Saturday, there have been almost a thousand earthquakes on the islands.

    • Milica Cosic

      EXPLAINED: WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE VOLCANO ERUPTED?

      La Palma's Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Sunday, September 19, 2021, and is still exploding Monday, September 20.

      The latest explosion occurred as a result of an earthquake under the volcano's base on September 11, 2021, that slowly migrated to the surface.

      More than 20,000 earthquakes were registered in one week, Reuters reports, sending lava shooting into the air and streaming in rivers towards houses in two villages in the south of the island.

      Authorities began evacuating the vulnerable and some farm animals around 3.15pm local time on September 19.

    • Milica Cosic

      SHOCK MAP SHOWS HOW LA PALMA WAS HIT BY HUNDREDS OF EARTHQUAKES IN JUST 15 HOURS IN 2018

      A startling map from the National Geographic Institute (NGI) shows exactly where the tremors hit the island back in 2018 – mainly near the slopes of the massive Cumbre Vieja.

      There were 44 "official" earthquakes recorded of up to 2.1 magnitude on the sun-soaked island between Friday at 1.52pm and Saturday at 4.17am of the first week of August 2018.

      Read more here.

    • Milica Cosic

      EXPLAINED: WHERE IS LA PALMA?

      The island forms part of the Canary Islands of Spain, which are located off the northwestern coast of Africa.

      It falls under the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and has a large volcanic caldera about 6 miles in diameter that was established as a national park.

      The island is a tourist hotspot for Brit holidaymakers who flock to its beaches every summer.

      The average time for a direct flight from London to La Palma is just under four-and-a-half hours and they regularly leave from the capital every day.

      La Palma's economy revolves around irrigation-based farming and bananas, tomatoes, and tobacco along with embroidery are its biggest exports.

    • Milica Cosic

      WARNING TO BRITS

      The British government has issued a warning to holidaymakers planning to travel to and from the luxury holiday destination after the volcano started rumbling and showing signs of activity last week.

      The government said last night: "On Sunday 19 September 2021, at approximately 15.15 local time, there was a volcanic eruption on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma. 

      "The immediate area of Cabeza de Vaca, El Paso has been evacuated.

      "If you are in an affected area you should follow the advice of local authorities, including social media updates from Cabildo de La Palma.

      "If you are planning to travel to the island imminently you are encouraged to contact your tour operators and airlines."

      An evacuation plan was launched on Sunday after the eruption and emergency services urged people remain calm, keep their doors and windows closed and keep key documents on them.

    • Milica Cosic

      WHY DID THE VOLCANO ERUPT AND HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?

      A series of small tremors began to take place on September 11 in southwestern La Palma, which lead scientists to believe there could be magma pushing under the surface of the earth.

      It is hard to say for certain how long the eruption will last.

      Historical precedent and volcanic activity in the area suggest it could last several weeks, and perhaps even months.

    • Milica Cosic

      SPANISH PM PRAISES SCIENTISTS FOR MONITORING ERUPTION

      The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, cancelled his trip to New York . He was meant to attend the UN General Assembly in The United States.

      Instead, he visited the affected area in La Palma today, and praised scientists for monitoring the eruption.

      Mr Sanchez said their work was “fundamental” in avoiding casualties and also promised that his government would help local people rebuild their lives.

    • Milica Cosic

      “THIS IS A CATASTROPHE.”

      One of the houses that was destroyed by the lava flow was that of Alberto, a man in his forties who lives in El Paraíso.

      He had nervously awaited news of his property last night, saying: “yesterday I was unsure, but today they confirmed that the lava has swallowed up my house.

      “This is a catastrophe."

      Among the 5,000 people were Gerhard Beck and his wife. They ended up at a military camp after a night of being constantly moved from one place to another.

      “We don’t know what happened to our house, but we fear the worst… We are going to a hotel for two days now. They have treated us well, but we’ve been very scared, really scared”, he explained.

      They were evacuated from their homes yesterday, and along with 300 other people spent the night at the El Fuerte barracks on the outskirts of the island capital.

    • Milica Cosic

      MAYOR SERGIO RODRIGUEZ SPEAKS

      Mayor Sergio Rodriguez said the molten rock was now spreading through the village of Los Llanos de Aridane "where hundreds of houses are at risk".

      "The lava left absolutely nothing in its path", Rodriguez told TVE.

      The lava is racing towards the Atlantic Ocean in two streams at 700 metres per hour and has a whopping temperature of 1,000C, the Canary Island's Volcanology Institute said.

    • Milica Cosic

      TOURISTS EVACUATED TO TENERIFE

      A group of around 360 tourists who were evacuated from a beach resort in La Palma have been transferred to the nearby island of Tenerife by ferry.

      They were taken there on Monday morning, a spokesperson of ferry operator Fred Olsen said.

      The spokesperson added that another 180 tourists, also part of that group of over 500 tourists evacuated, could be evacuated to the archipelago’s biggest island later on Monday.

    • Milica Cosic

      TOWN MAYOR DESCRIBES ‘WALL OF LAVA’

      Mariano Hernandez, the major of the town of Cabildo, described the scene in the area affected by the lava as “bleak.”

      He said a wall of lava “is consuming houses, infrastructure, crops in its path to the coast”.

      The Military Emergencies Unit is increasing its deployment on La Palma to 180 soldiers and 57 vehicles.

    • Milica Cosic

      LAVA RIVER OF THE VOLCANO ON THE ISLAND SHARED

      People living on the island have take to Twitter to share video footage and pictures of the devastation caused by the lava flow from the volcano.

      The lava swallowed 20 houses in the village of El Paso, and around 500 tourists have been forced to flee.

      Source: Read Full Article

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