Lockdown lifted in Spain's La Palma, volcanic eruption keeps airport shut
MADRID: Authorities on the Spanish island of La Palma on
Wednesday (Nov 24) lifted lockdown on three coastal towns as toxic fumes from
the lava flowing into the sea partly dissipated, but the eruption of the Cumbre
Vieja volcano showed no signs of abating.
The red-hot molten rock continued to gush along the western
flanks of the volcano, which has been erupting since Sept. 19, and the pace of
daily earth tremors is yet to slow down
La Palma airport remained closed since the weekend, and
footage released by airport operator Aena showed staff shovelling tonnes of
black ash from the runway.
"If the eruption intensity doesn't diminish, it is most
likely to keep affecting La Palma airport," said Carmen Lopez, who heads
the National Geographic Institute's geophysical monitoring programme.
Local authorities on Monday forced residents of three
coastal towns to stay indoors as a third tongue of lava hit the sea sending
thick clouds of vapour and smoke high into the sky.
The cloud is less dense now, said Miguel Angel Morcuende,
technical director of the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan.
"However, we recommend that people living near where
the lava flow reaches the sea to wear the FFP2 masks and stay protected to
prevent any problem," he told reporters.
The lava solidifying as it crashes into the water has
expanded the island's surface by some 46 hectares, according to the
authorities.
It has engulfed 1,073 hectares of land so far, according to
the EU satellite monitoring system Copernicus. The eruption has damaged or
destroyed nearly 2,700 buildings, forcing the evacuation of thousands from
their homes on the island.
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