Canary Islands volcano: 1 hour to flee for La Palma residents as lava hits coast on Spanish archipelago
- Regional leader Angel Victor Torres said emergency services were powerless to stop the lava’s ‘inexorable’ advance to the sea
- Authorities say that as lava hits the sea, it could create a cloud of toxic gases and possibly explosions as the molten rock cools rapidly
Families rushed to retrieve belongings from their homes and escape the advancing lava on Tuesday, as sirens sounded and helicopters flew overhead in air filled with smoke from an erupting volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma.
One family of three in the town of Los Llanos de Aridane, threatened by the lava running to the coast, hurried to load a Toyota van with mattresses, a fridge, washing machine and bags stuffed with clothes.
Residents in Los Llanos de Aridane were given one hour to pack up and flee, a scene played out over La Palma in the Canary Islands since the volcano erupted on Sunday, forcing 6,000 people to evacuate. At least 166 houses have been destroyed so far.
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Thousands flee as lava from volcano on Spain’s La Palma island swallows homes
Regional leader Angel Victor Torres said emergency services were powerless to stop the lava’s “inexorable” advance to the sea and that more homes, churches and agricultural land would be consumed.
While the total damage remains hard to predict, he said it would far exceed the €400 million (US$468 million) threshold needed to qualify for European Union aid.
Authorities have warned that as it hits the sea, the lava could create a cloud of toxic gases and possibly explosions as the molten rock cools rapidly.
Marine authorities were keeping a two-nautical-mile zone offshore closed as a precaution “to prevent onlookers on boats and prevent the gases from affecting people”, the island council’s chief Mariano Hernandez told Cadena SER radio station.