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Agence France-Presse

Lava from an erupting volcano in the Canary Islands has reached the ocean, vulcanologists said, raising fears of toxic gases being released as the molten magma hits the seawater.
The Spanish archipelago had earlier declared an exclusion zone of two nautical miles around the location the lava was expected to enter the Atlantic and asked residents to stay at home.
“The lava flow has reached the sea at Playa Nueva,” the Canary Islands Volcanic Institute (Involcan) said on Twitter Tuesday night.
La Cumbre Vieja volcano, which straddles a southern ridge in La Palma, an island with 85,000 inhabitants, erupted on September 19, spewing out rivers of lava that have slowly crept towards the sea.
Television images showed a stream of glowing lava entering the water, creating a large cloud of smoke.
Residents of several areas of Tazacorte, a village near the coast, were told Monday to stay at home to avoid harm from the release of toxic gases that can take place due to a reaction between the 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 Fahrenheit) molten lava and water.
On Tuesday afternoon, the slow-moving lava flow, which has varied in speed over the past few days, was still around 800 metres (half a mile) from the coast.


Residents were warned to stay home due to “the possibility that there will be a small shock when the magma enters the seawater, and that this small shock causes vapours which can be toxic,” stressed Miguel Angel Morcuende, technical director of the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan (Pevolca).
Experts say the entry of lava into the seawater could cause explosions and a fragmentation of the molten rock like gunshots.
“Inhalation or contact with acid gases and liquids can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory tract, and may cause breathing difficulties, especially in people with pre-existing respiratory diseases,” Involcan warned.
An hour to flee for La Palma residents as lava hits coast
The two last eruptions on La Palma, in 1949 and 1971, killed a total of three people, two of them from gas inhalation.
A state of natural disaster has been declared on the island, where the molten rock has so far scorched its way across more than 268 hectares (660 acres) of land and destroyed 656 buildings, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Earth Observation Programme.

The government on Tuesday released €10.5 million (US$12.3 million) in aid for victims of the eruption, in particular to buy housing for those whose homes were engulfed in lava.
The eruption has forced the evacuation of more than 6,000 people from their homes but has not killed or injured anyone.
The lava flow has destroyed several roads, with the Canaries regional head Angel Victor Torres estimating last week that the damage to land and property would exceed 400 million euros.
Since it erupted, the volcano has been spewing huge columns of smoke and ash reaching several hundred metres high, disrupting air traffic.
Domestic flights were cancelled on Friday and the airport was closed the following day.
The airport has since reopened but flights remain suspended.
Experts estimate the eruption could last for several weeks, or even months.
Like other islands in the archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa, La Palma relies mainly on the cultivation of bananas and tourism.


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Spain

La Palma volcano lava reaches sea, raising toxic gas fears

Lava flow from the Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption in La Palma reaching the sea. Photo: EPA

A screengrab from a drone footage shows the extent of the damage caused by the lava streams flowing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano, on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain September 28, 2021. Footage obtained on September 28, 2021 by the SPAIN'S GUARDIA CIVIL POLICE. SPAIN'S GUARDIA CIVIL POLICE/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

Ash cloud closes Spain’s La Palma airport as new volcanic vent emerges

Lava flows from Tijarafe following the new eruption of a volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

epa09488346 View of a new eruption of Cumbre Vieja Volcano in La Palma island, Canary Islands, southwestern Spain, 25 September 2021. Residents from the three most threatened areas had to be evacuated after the volcano registered more explosivity and two new vents. EPA-EFE/Miguel Calero

Volcano erupts on Spain’s Atlantic Ocean island of La Palma

Lava pours out of a volcano in the Cumbre Vieja national park at El Paso, on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Lava and smoke flow from an eruption of a volcano at the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. A volcano on Spain's Atlantic Ocean island of La Palma erupted Sunday after a weeklong buildup of seismic activity, prompting authorities to evacuate thousands as lava flows destroyed isolated houses and threatened to reach the coast. New eruptions continued into the night. (AP Photo/Jonathan Rodriguez)

Mount Cumbre Vieja erupts in El Paso, spewing out columns of smoke, ash and lava as seen from Los Llanos de Aridane on the Canary island of La Palma on September 19, 2021. - The Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Spain's Canary Islands today spewing out lava, ash and a huge column of smoke after days of increased seismic activity, sparking evacuations of people living nearby, authorities said. Cumbre Vieja straddles a ridge in the south of La Palma island and has erupted twice in the 20th century, first in 1949 then again in 1971. (DESIREE MARTIN/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

Firefighter dies battling Spain wildfire as more than 900 forced to evacuate

A woman takes pictures of flames as they rip through a wooded area amid forest fires in Sierra Bermeja. Photo: DPA

A helicopter makes a water drop over a wildfire on Sierra Bermeja mountain, in Estepona, Spain, September 9, 2021. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

A resident carries cats while being evacuated by the police as wildfire burns on Sierra Bermeja mountain, in Estepona, Spain, September 9, 2021. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

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Volcano erupted on September 19 for first time in 50 years
A state of natural disaster has been declared on Spanish island



Lava has been flowing down the Spanish island volcano’s western flank toward the sea since September 19, destroying hundreds of houses.


Volcanoes

Natural disasters

La Palma volcano lava reaches sea, raising toxic gas fears

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Volcano erupted on September 19 for first time in 50 years A state of natural disaster has been declared on Spanish island

Volcano erupted on September 19 for first time in 50 years

A state of natural disaster has been declared on Spanish island