Sunday. 22.12.2024

New lava flow on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma has caused further destruction.

The mass, which has a temperature of around 1,000 degrees Celsius, came out after the northern flank of the volcanic cone in the Cumbre Vieja mountain collapsed, state TV station RTVE reported.

Since the affected region had already been evacuated, no one had to be brought to safety.

The volcano ejected a cloud of ash up to a height of 3.5 kilometres.

Small to medium earthquakes repeatedly shook the south of the island. The strongest quake had a magnitude of 4.1.

The volcano in the south of La Palma island, which is less known to tourists than the other Canary Islands off the western coast of Africa such as Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura or Lanzarote, erupted on September 19 for the first time in 50 years.

1,150 buildings destroyed

Volcanologists have been unable to say how long it would remain active.

Since the beginning of the eruption, the lava has destroyed more than 1,150 buildings and caused extensive damage to agriculture and the island's infrastructure, estimate at around 400 million euros (462.81 million dollars).

More than 6,000 people have had to leave their homes.

New lava flow causes further destruction on La Palma island