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IN PICTURES: Volcanic eruptions continue to blight Spain’s La Palma

Firefighters were forced to evacuate three more towns on Friday amid a fresh wave of eruptions on the Canary island of La Palma. Take a look at some of the most dramatic photos of the past week.

Published: 25 September 2021 11:59 CEST

IN PICTURES: Volcanic eruptions continue to blight Spain's La Palma

The Cumbre Vieja volcano in El Paso spews lava as seen from Los Llanos de Aridane on the Canary island of La Palma in September 23, 2021. (Photo by DESIREE MARTIN / AFP)

Since erupting on Sunday, the Cumbre Vieja volcano has caused extensive damage in La Palma – one of the Canary Islands. Almost 1,600 people have been evacuated from areas near the site.

A column of smoke and pyroclastic materials spewed by the Cumbre Vieja volcano is seen from the neighbourhood of Todoque in Los Llanos de Aridane on the Canary island of La Palma in September 24, 2021 (Photo by DESIREE MARTIN / AFP)

No casualties have been reported so far but the damage to land and property has been enormous, with the Canaries regional head Angel Victor Torres estimating the cost at well over 400 million euros. Some 400 buildings have been destroyed.

Slow flowing lava has caused extensive property damage and forced evacuations. The government has declared a no-go zone close to the volcano. (Photo by EMILIO MORENATTI / POOL / AFP)

“The exceptional situation that La Palma is experiencing requires exceptional actions,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, in a press conference on Friday.

Firefighters were forced to retreat on Friday as the eruption continues and lava advances. (Photo by DESIREE MARTIN / AFP)

The Spanish government has announced a special plan to repair damaged infrastructure, houses and agriculture on the island.

Aviation authorities have closed the airport because of a build-up of ash.

Lava is still flowing from the volcano, although at a much slower pace. Experts hope it will not reach the coast because if it enters the sea, it could generate clouds of toxic gas.

Lava from a volcano eruption flows on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, on September 23, 2021. (Photo by EMILIO MORENATTI / POOL / AFP)

On Friday firefighters were forced to retreat as three more towns were evacuated.

The eruption on La Palma, home to 85,000 people, was the first in 50 years.

Mount Cumbre Vieja last erupted in 1971. This recent episode has shaken the island. (Photo by DESIREE MARTIN / AFP)

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3,000 people in Spain's La Palma forced indoors as lava reaches sea

The lava flow produced by the Cumbre Vieja volcano has reached the sea before. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)

The Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan (Pevolca) “ordered the confinement” of residents of coastal towns and villages near where the lava cascaded into the sea, sending large plumes of white smoke into the air, local emergency services said on Twitter.

The order was given due to “the possible release of gases that are harmful to health,” it added.

The order affects “around 3,000” people on the island, Miguel Angel Morcuende, technical director of Pevolca, told a news conference.

This is the third time that a lava flow has reached the Atlantic Ocean since the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the south of the island erupted on September 19th, covering large areas with ash.

All flights to and from La Palma’s airport were cancelled on Monday because of the ash, the third straight day that air travel has been disrupted.

And for the first time since the eruption started, local authorities advised residents of La Palma’s capital, Santa Cruz de La Palma in the east, to use high-filtration FFP2 face masks to protect themselves from emissions of dioxide and sulphur.

Most of the island, which is home to around 85,000 people, is so far unaffected by the eruption.

But parts of the western side where lava flows have slowly made their way to the sea face an uncertain future.

The molten rock has covered 1,065 hectares (2,630 acres) and destroyed nearly 1,500 buildings, according to Copernicus, the European Union’s satellite monitoring service.

Lava has destroyed schools, churches, health centres and irrigation infrastructure for the island’s banana plantations — a key source of jobs — as well as hundreds of homes.

Provisional damage was estimated on Friday at nearly €900 million ($1 billion), according to the regional government.

The island of La Palma, part of the Canary Islands archipelago off northwestern Africa, is experiencing its third eruption in a century, with
previous ones in 1949 and 1971.

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