'Lava tsunami': magma flow in La Palma becomes more violent

The lava flow from the volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma became more violent and much faster on Friday.

The volcanological institute of the Canary Islands, Involcan, spoke of a "lava tsunami" in in view of impressive video footage.

However, geologist Jose Mangas, a professor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, stressed that this picture was somewhat distorted.

"In this case, we cannot speak of a tsunami, but of lava flows, with a temperature of more than 1,200 degrees Celsius, that run very fast because of the steeply sloping terrain," he told state TV channel RTVE.

The volcano erupted on September 19 for the first time in 50 years.

The eruption has become more violent in recent days, with repeated explosions throwing magma in the air, and plumes of smoke rising several kilometres into the sky.

Earthquakes

Specialists say it is still not possible to predict when the eruption will end.

Several small to medium-strength earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 4.5 continued to shake the island with its 85,000 inhabitants.

So far, more up to 1,548 buildings have been destroyed and the island's agriculture and industry have been seriously damaged.

More than 7,000 people had to be brought to safety, but nobody has been seriously injured so far.