[ad_1]
By Al Goodman, CNN
Eruptions of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma have intensified as flights are suspended and authorities ordered additional evacuations, bringing the total number of evacuees to nearly 6,000.
“According to the records of the volcanic monitoring that has been carried out since the start of the eruption, this afternoon the most energetic moment of the eruptive process took place,” according to a statement from the regional government of the Canary Islands on Friday evening.
The last 160 evacuees were evacuated from three other towns and would not be allowed to return home to collect their belongings due to “the evolution of the volcanic emergency”, officials added.
La Palma airport was “inoperative” on Saturday, after the cancellation of several flights to and from La Palma on Friday afternoon, due to “ash build-up” due to recent volcanic activity in the area. region, Spanish airport operator AENA tweeted on Saturday.
AENA, a state-owned company that operates airports and helipads in Spain, added that “cleaning tasks have started, but the situation can change at any time.”
“The priority is to guarantee the safety of operations,” added AENA.
“The rest of the Canary Islands airports are operational. However, if you are planning to fly, check with your airline for the status of your flight, ”AENA concluded.
Binter, an airline serving the Canary Islands, also confirmed via a tweet on Saturday that it would not fly to and from La Palma due to the presence of volcanic ash. The airline, however, said it had resumed other flights to the island of La Gomera and to the island of Tenerife, due to improving conditions.
Saturday marks the seventh consecutive day of volcanic eruptions on La Palma, one of the smallest islands in the Spanish Canary Islands archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stayed on the island on Friday morning, where he has spent most of the week since the eruptions started last Sunday.
Sanchez told reporters on Friday that the Spanish government had approved “immediate financial housing assistance” for the displaced as well as financial assistance for those affected to purchase household items.
Angel Victor Torres, president of the Canary Islands, said on Thursday that some 400 houses and buildings had already been destroyed by lava, according to reports in Spanish media.
The King and Queen of Spain traveled from Madrid to La Palma on Thursday and met evacuees as well as emergency personnel.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Duarte Mendonca contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link