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Lava from Spanish volcano heads toward sea; no injuries
Earlier DU thread: Volcano Erupts on La Palma Island
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Source: Associated Press
Lava from Spanish volcano heads toward sea; no injuries
By ARITZ PARRA and BARRY HATTON
September 20, 2021
EL FUERTE, Spain (AP) — Giant rivers of lava tumbled slowly but relentlessly toward the sea Monday after a volcano erupted on a Spanish island off northwest Africa, destroying everything in their path while prompt evacuations helped avoid casualties.
The eruption occurred Sunday on the island of Palma, in the volcanic Canary Islands, along a ridge called Cumbre Vieja, where two fissures belched bright red magma into the air and set the glowing lava rivers in motion.
Scientists had been monitoring the area in recent days amid a surge in mostly small earthquakes, and authorities evacuated around 5,000 people.
The lava was moving at 700 meters (2,300 feet) per hour, according to the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute. Officials said they expected it to reach the Atlantic Ocean around sunset.
The lava left black swathes of destruction through the sparsely populated, green countryside and destroyed around 100 houses, officials said.
-snip-
By ARITZ PARRA and BARRY HATTON
September 20, 2021
EL FUERTE, Spain (AP) — Giant rivers of lava tumbled slowly but relentlessly toward the sea Monday after a volcano erupted on a Spanish island off northwest Africa, destroying everything in their path while prompt evacuations helped avoid casualties.
The eruption occurred Sunday on the island of Palma, in the volcanic Canary Islands, along a ridge called Cumbre Vieja, where two fissures belched bright red magma into the air and set the glowing lava rivers in motion.
Scientists had been monitoring the area in recent days amid a surge in mostly small earthquakes, and authorities evacuated around 5,000 people.
The lava was moving at 700 meters (2,300 feet) per hour, according to the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute. Officials said they expected it to reach the Atlantic Ocean around sunset.
The lava left black swathes of destruction through the sparsely populated, green countryside and destroyed around 100 houses, officials said.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/europe-africa-canary-islands-spain-palma-d881c7be2c0ca7ce20aeaa06a8b68ea9
Lava flows from an eruption of a volcano near El Paso on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. Lava continues to flow slowly from a volcano that erupted in Spain’s Canary Islands off northwest Africa. The head of the islands' regional government says Monday he expects no injuries to people in the area after some 5,000 were evacuated. (Europa Press via AP)