Spain: Lockdown in three coastal cities in La Palma - Lava back in the ocean
A third river of lava from the Kubre Vieha volcano, which has been erupting for two months, has reached the sea.
Authorities on the Spanish island of La Palma have ordered residents of three coastal cities, about 3,000 people, to stay at home today after a new lava river into the ocean, sending dense clouds of toxic gases into the sky.
A third river of lava from the Kubre Vieha volcano, which has been erupting for two months, reached the sea around 12.00 local time, a few kilometers north of where the two previous ones ended.
Video captured by a local unmanned aircraft shows white clouds rising above the water as the hot, red molten rock slides down a slope into the Atlantic Ocean.
Authorities have ordered residents of Tazacorte, San Borondon and parts of El Gardon to stay indoors, closing windows and doors as strong winds blowing in the area push clouds into the island.
Soldiers from the Army Emergency Unit were deployed to measure air quality in the area.
In addition, the airport was closed and is likely to remain closed for up to 48 hours due to adverse weather conditions, said Miguel Μngel Murquende, technical director of the volcano eruption response committee.
Residents of the capital, Santa Cruz, have been asked to wear masks for the first time since the volcano erupted due to high concentrations of particulate matter and sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere, he explained.
