Volcano on Palm
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The volcanic eruption occurred on Sunday, and on Monday, a lava flow that destroys everything in its path reached residential buildings.
In the Canary Islands, for the first time in 50 years, a volcanic eruption began.
Cumbre Vieja is a chain of volcanoes that last erupted in 1971.
Due to the eruption, about 5,000 inhabitants of the island of Palma, which is part of the Canary Islands archipelago, were forced to leave their homes.
How it all happened
The eruption of the volcano occurred on Sunday, and on Monday, a lava flow that was destroying everything in its path reached the houses. According to local officials, about a hundred buildings were destroyed.
A new eruption occurred after an increase in seismic activity – since September 11, 22 thousand tremors have been registered in this area during the week. Before the eruption there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.8.
On videos from the site of a natural disaster, you can see lava, ash and stones that the volcano throws into the air. One lava flow descended the slope towards the nearest houses.
“Lava leaves nothing in its path,” El Paso Mayor Sergio Rodriguez told reporters. According to him, local residents will not be able to return to their homes soon.
No fatalities have been reported. Four small settlements were evacuated by government decree. Temporary accommodation facilities have been equipped in safe areas for those fleeing the disaster. According to the President of the Canary Islands, Angel Victor Torres, no further evacuations are likely to be required.
A blow to tourism
On Sunday, the local airline Binter stopped flights to the island, but the Spanish civil aviation agency emphasizes that the airspace over the island is not closed.
Also, about 500 tourists were evacuated from the island, but the Spanish Minister of Tourism Reyes Maroto urged people not to leave the island.
“The island is open. If your hotel is affected, we will match you with a new one. Take the opportunity to enjoy nature,” she said.
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REUTERS
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Locals say they still feel soil vibrations from time to time, and sometimes the volcano makes a loud sound. “It’s like 20 fighters took off at the same time,” describes his guide, Jonas Perez.
Local resident Sergio Sarti, who was close to the volcano during the eruption, is now afraid that something else will happen.
“I’m afraid of another big eruption. It was a fire 200 meters high, and then a river of lava that was approaching the shore. I saw how many houses it covered, I saw families crying. We did not expect this to happen now,” he says.
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