Spain: La Palma volcanic eruption intensifies and engulfs more homes | New



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The volcano that began to erupt on September 19 destroyed more than 800 buildings, forcing the evacuation of around 6,000 people.

Buildings near the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma were engulfed by rivers of lava, with the drama of the glowing eruption heightened by the spectacle of lightning.

The volcano began to erupt on September 19 and destroyed more than 800 buildings and forced the evacuation of around 6,000 people from their homes on the island.

La Palma, with a population of around 83,000, is one of the Atlantic Canary Islands.

On Saturday, the magma destroyed at least four buildings in the village of Callejon de la Gata, the Reuters news agency reported. Lightning was also seen near the eruption early on Saturday.

The volcano destroyed more than 800 buildings [Marcos Moreno/Anadolu Agency]

Lava from the volcano has engulfed more than 150 hectares (370 acres) of farmland. It has also caused enormous damage to banana plantations in La Palma – the second largest producer in the Canary Islands – where the crop accounts for 50 percent of the island’s economy.

Once the black grain has landed on the bananas, it is almost impossible to remove.

Banana farms were covered with ash from the volcano [Borja Suarez/Reuters]

La Palma airport has been closed since Thursday due to the ash, Spanish airline operator Aena said.

On Friday, the ash cloud from the eruption disrupted flights to the neighboring island of Tenerife for several hours.

Volcanic ash also blanketed the island’s salt marshes.

“When the ashes fell we were about to collect the salt, but it completely covered everything creating a crust on top and we couldn’t separate the salt from the ashes. It has completely penetrated the grain. It is impossible to separate, ”Andres Hernandez told Reuters, adding that up to 200 tons of salt had been destroyed.

The eruption also deterred visitors from the salt flats, which are also one of the island’s tourist attractions.



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