The Cumbre Vieja erupted on La Palma on September 19. Part of that volcano collapsed on Saturday. “The collapse of the northern flank of the Cumbre Vieja has caused the large chunks of material that are now coming loose and the new lava flow through previously evacuated areas,” the Ministry of National Security tweeted.
The new lava flow, with temperatures as high as 1240 degrees Celsius, destroyed the last remaining buildings in the town of Todoque. Since the eruption three weeks ago, lava flows have destroyed almost 1,200 buildings on La Palma, which has about 83,000 inhabitants. About 6,000 people have been evacuated.
Images from Involcan, the volcanology institute of the Canary Islands, show the new lava flow making its way down.
A series of earthquakes could also be felt on the island today. The most powerful of these had a strength of 3.8 on the Richter scale, the Spanish National Geological Institute (ING) reported.
Starting tomorrow, the Spanish navy will help clear the island, which is largely covered in volcanic ash. That ash layer was also the reason for the closure of La Palma airport last week. Since Friday there are again flights to the Canary Island.
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