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La Palma volcano eruption today: evacuation, possible tsunami and live updates

Update:
Lava rises at dawn following the eruption of a volcano in the Cumbre Vieja national park, in El Paso, on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

La Palma volcano eruption: live updates

Headlines

- La Palma airport now operational again after clean-up

- Spanish volcanologist explains what will happen when the lava reaches the sea on La Palma(Details)

-  More than 513 buildings destroyed by lava flow, which now covers over 237.5 hectares

- Villages of Tacande and Tajuya evacuated amid increased explosive activity and new vents. Ash plume now 4km high

- New lava flow caused by cone fracture moving "more quickly and more fluidly"

Lava flow "advancing quickly towards the coast", says president of La Palma local government

- Spain PM Sánchez to declare La Palma "catastrophe zone"

Active volcanoes in the Canary Islands: an overview

- When was the last volcanic eruption in the Canary Islands? (Details)

- The question on many minds: What happens when the lava reaches the ocean? (Details)

Related articles:

How many active volcanoes are there in the Canary Islands?

World News

How many active volcanoes are there in the Canary Islands?

How many active volcanoes are there in the Canary Islands?

The lands of Macaronesia, that is the archipelagos of the Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores and Cape Verde, were formed by volcanoes 70 million years ago.

In the last 1,000 years, the only eruptions in Spain have happened in the Canary Islands. This is due to their relative youth amongst volcanos, with Cumbre vieja being a mere 125,000 years old. They are still in the stage of volcano development, which means eruptions can still happen.

Read more.

After a slower day Sunday, tonight's images from La Palma seem other worldly as lava is spewing at tremendous pressure and speed once again.

Was the airport open today at La Palma?

Air traffic at the airport was canceled on Monday 27 September, to avoid any adverse interactions with the ash and gas with a plane's engine.

Images from Day 9 of the La Palma Volcano eruption

As the lava continues to slow, some experts believe the it could be months before the eruption is over.

Where are most volcanoes located? Which are the most recent?

SCIENCE | VOLCANOES

Where are most volcanoes located? Which are the most recent?

Where are most volcanoes located? Which are the most recent?

Volcanism is responsible for over 80 percent of Earth’s surface both above and below sea level, but where are the most volcanoes located today?

Many of those volcanoes are located on the “Ring of Fire” which is located all along the Pacific Rim. However, the greatest number of volcanoes are hidden from view deep under water on the ocean floor.

Read our full coverage for details on how volcanoes form and why they are centered around the Ring of Fire in the Pacific.

CV

Cumbre Vieja sparks into life again

The Cumbre Vieja volcano on Spain's La Palma island is again expelling lava and smoke, researchers said on Monday after activity had slowed to a near halt earlier in the day.

The Canary Islands volcanology institute confirmed the emission of lava via Twitter while TV footage showed a column of white smoke rising from the cone after several hours of calm.

Native Canary Island tennis star Suarez shows support

The 33-year-old and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria native Carla Suarez made the honorary kick-off ahead of the Las Palmas-Ponferredina game wearing a t-shirt showing support for neighbouring La Palma.

Tenerife and Las Palmas soccer teams show support

The two principal soccer teams in the Canary Islands are second tier CD Tenerife and UD Las Palmas with both sides showing support for the neighbours on the stricken La Palma island with slogans of support on their pre-game shirts this weekend.

Todoque church collapse

An onlooker recorded the moment a church collapsed in Todoque earlier today, with the lava flow now responsible for the destruction of at least 513 buildings in La Palma.

Foto

A man looks as lava and smoke rise following the eruption of a volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma, in La Todoque. (Reuters)

Eastern shore residents ordered to stay at home

As reported by Reuters, authorities in La Palma have ordered people located in an area on the eastern shore of the island to stay at home as the lava nears the sea. See video report below...

Schools expected to resume next week

The municipal government in the Canary Islands has said it expects that schools will be able to resume next week. Schools have been closed since the last Monday after the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano started on Sunday, 19 September.

Binter cancels flights once again

Spanish airline Binter has confirmed that it is once again cancelling flights, saying it hopes to resume flights tomorrow.

"We have again stopped the operation withaPalma after trying to make a first flight today and verifying that the necessary security conditions were not met. We will try again to recover operations tomorrow if the authorities confirm that favorable conditions exist," the airline tweeted.

Spanish news agency EFE reports that the lava is now 800-1,000m from the sea, but that it is still not certain if it will reach the water.

513 buildings now destroyed

According to the latest count from Copernicus, 513 buildings have now been destroyed by the lava, which now covers 237.5 hectares of La Palma. The area covered by volcanic ash is now at 1,507, while 18.9 km of road has been destroyed.

Cumbre Vieja from the ISS

NASA has captured a stunning image of the Cumbre Vieja eruption from space, clearly showing the extent of the lava being hurled into the air and the volcano's proximity to the villages of El Paso and Los Llanos.

How many active volcanoes are there in the Canary Islands?

World News

How many active volcanoes are there in the Canary Islands?

The lands of Macaronesia, that is the archipelagos of the Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores and Cape Verde, were formed by volcanoes 70 million years ago.

In the last 1,000 years, the only eruptions in Spain have happened in the Canary Islands. This is due to their relative youth amongst volcanos, with Cumbre Vieja being a mere 125,000 years old. They are still in the stage of volcano development, which means eruptions can still happen.

Cumbre Vieja spewing lava: INVOLCAN

According to the latest update from the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute, the main cone of Cumbre Vieja is now emitting lava again.

Cumbre Vieja cooling off?

According to the latest data from the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute, the volcanic tremours in Cumbre Vieja have dropped off considerably over the past few hours.

la palma

La Palma lockdown as lava approaches sea

Emergency authorities early on Monday ordered people in an area on the eastern shore of La Palma island to lock down as the lava gushing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano approaches the sea.

The 1,250 Celsius degree lava may touch the Atlantic Ocean in the coming hours, likely causing explosions and sending clouds of toxic gases over the island, the Canary Islands emergency services warned on Monday morning.

"Population will have to follow the authorities guidance and remain in their home with doors and windows closed," the services said on their Twitter account.

People on the coastal areas of San Borondon, Marina Alta and Baja and La Condesa were ordered to lock down.

Reuters drone footage showed a rapid river of red hot lava flowing down the slopes of the crater, passing close to homes, and swathes of land and buildings engulfed by a black mass of slower-moving, older lava.

On Monday morning after dawn, the volcano was quieter than in the previous days.

Since the volcano started erupting on September 19, the flow of black lava has engulfed more than 230 hectares, the European Union satellite monitoring service Copernicus said, swallowing hundreds of houses as well as roads, schools, churches and banana plantations and forcing thousands to evacuate.

No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported since the volcano's eruption, but about 15% of the island's banana crop could be at risk, jeopardising thousands of jobs.

Photo: EFE/Ángel Medina G.

Lava spews from Cumbre Vieja

Video footage shows drone footage showing lava spewing from the erupting Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma on Sunday.

Chefs serve meals to workers in La Palma

The World Central Kitchen have been serving meals to everyone working through the night on the island. 

A single house saved

Recent drone footage taken in La Palma shows one "miracle house" that was saved from the destruction caused by the flow of lava from the Volcano that erupted a week ago.

Volcano

AS reporter Santiago Castañeda has captured this image of the huge plume of smoke rising into the La Palma sky from the Cumbre Vieja volcano.

First cloudless satellite image of erupting volcano and lava flow

SpaceTec’s Annamaria Luongo has shared this satellite image of the erupting Cumbre Vieja volcano and the lava flow emanating from it. It's the first such picture to be taken without clouds obscuring the view.

Spanish volcanologist explains what will happen when the lava reaches the sea on La Palma

WORLD NEWS

Spanish volcanologist explains what will happen when the lava reaches the sea on La Palma

Vicente Soler, a volcanologist at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), spoke to AS to explain the current situation of the volcano, how the process began and what is expected for the future.

Read the full interview

La Palma volcano eruption: welcome

Hell and welcome to AS English's live coverage of the ongoing volcanic eruption on the Canary Island of La Palma.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano has been spewing ash and lava since erupting on September 19, destroying hundreds of buildings and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.