Lava flows around 'miracle house' on La Palma

The volcanic eruption on the small Canary island of La Palma destroyed hundreds of houses - but one has miraculously been spared.

As can be seen in pictures and videos, the lava flowed around the building in the village of El Paraiso (Paradise). The Canarian-style house belongs to a retired couple from Denmark, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported.

The two are over 80 and have not visited the island since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are relieved that it is still standing. At some point we will be able to enjoy the house again. Or we will leave it to our three children," the couple had said in tears.

The newspaper quoted a female Dutch entrepreneur, who had built the house with her husband years ago.

"We all cried like crazy when I told them that their beloved house was intact," she added.

Lava buried hundreds of builidings

She also thanked Alfonso Escalero, whose production company had shared the first pictures of the house on social media, where it is now called the "miracle house" of La Palma - especially since other buildings in the nearby vicinity as well as the local school were buried under the lava.

The volcano in the Cumbre Vieja nature park has been spewing ash, rock fragments and lava at around 1,000 degrees Celsius since Sunday.

Banana plantations, roads and power lines were also destroyed. However, there have been no injuries so far.