A SECOND earthquake has hit the Canary Islands as the eruption of La Cumbre Vieja volcano continues.
The new 3.8 magnitude quake caused yet more lava to spew from the erupting volcano, although the flow is now moving through the island at a slower rate than it previously was.
Brits have had to flee for their lives and were taken to the nearby island of Tenerife to escape the flames, which has already desultory more than 100 homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate the island.
Shocking video showed swimming pools BOILING as red hot lava from the volcano poured into gardens, while other footage captured the moment a molten wall rolled down the street towards firefighters.
Read our La Palma volcano live blog below for the latest updates…
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‘MANY PEOPLE ARE LOSING EVERYTHING THEY HAVE’
Local, Rayco Leal, described the situation, saying: “We heard a roar that at first we thought was another earthquake, but then we saw a column of smoke right and realised there was a high chance that the lava would descend into the house”.
Francisco Machí, is calculating the time he had left to leave his home, saying: “At the speed of the lava flow, I will have to leave my house in a day or two. This is a catastrophe because many people are losing everything they have”.
“I am very afraid, I never thought that I would be evacuated from my house,” says Luz María, a resident of El Paraíso.
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DRAMATIC VIDEO SHOWS LAVA SWALLOWING SWIMMING POOLS AND HOMES AS THOUSANDS FLEE
THOUSANDS have been forced to flee as lava from the erupted volcano on the Spanish isle of La Palma continues to spew out.
Streams of hot molten rock from the La Cumbre Vieja volcano swallowed swimming pools and homes in hellish scenes as it tore through El Paso.
Shocking video footage shows a river of orange-topped volcanic rock mercilessly surging through homes and pools as it makes its way towards the Atlantic Ocean.
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GOVERNMENT SAYS AROUND 6,000 PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO FLEE THEIR HOMES
Gvernment spokeswoman Isabel Rodrguez said after a Cabinet meeting in Madrid that around 6,000 people on La Palma have been evacuated so far.
Further to this, 183 houses have been damaged following Sunday’s volcanic eruption.
Meanwhile, in the neighbourhood of Todoque in La Palma, lava has continued bearing down. More than 1,000 people live in this neighbourhood, and it’s said that emergency services are preparing evacuations.
The lava is gradually closing in on the more densely populated coastline after moving downhill across the island’s countryside.
However, scientists have warned that the lava flows could last for weeks or months.
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RUN FOR LIFE (CONTINUED)
Firefighters say they are powerless to stop it and can only hope that as few properties as possible will be swallowed up.
A church, blocks of flats, a school, and a series of modern villas with pools are set to be submerged in lava in just a few hours.
"The reality that we are witnessing every day as we perform our functions as firefighters on the island of La Palma is harsh and it is difficult for us to assume the impossibility of stopping what nature executes slowly," a Consortium spokesman said.
"We will continue working in such a situation with churned stomachs, hoping that the damage will be as minor as possible."
Technical director of the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan, Miguel Ángel Morcuende said it was unclear whether the lava will hit the sea later today or tomorrow.
It will be slowed down by "obstacles in its way" – one of these being Todoque.
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RUN FOR LIFE!
FAMILIES were given just one hour to escape the red-hot lava gushing from La Palma's volcanic eruption before it engulfs everything in its path.
Terrified locals grabbed what they could before the magma devastates the town of Todoque as it makes its way towards the Atlantic Ocean.
The huge wall of lava is aiming straight at Todoque, in the municipality of Los Llanos de Aridane, and is moving at a speed of 120 metres per hour.
All 1,200 residents of the quiet town have been ordered to leave their homes immediately because of the imminent danger to life and property.
- Milica Cosic
FOOTAGE SHOWS LAVA ENGULFING HOMES
Scary footage shared on Twitter shows how the lava from the erupted volcano has reached houses.
The lava can be seen flooding from all corners, as firefighters remain in the home.
Another video shows mounds of hot lava burning through a home.
- Milica Cosic
SPAIN’S KING AND QUEEN ‘TO VISIT ISLAND’ ON THURSDAY
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are due to visit the affected area on Thursday, according to a report.
Royal sources told the AS newspaper that the monarchs will meet local governmental authorities, residents and emergency services affected by the eruption.
The leader of Spain’s conservative Popular Party, Pablo Casado, will visit on Wednesday.
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez visited the site of the eruption on Monday.
- Milica Cosic
GOVERNMENT SAYS AROUND 6,000 PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO FLEE THEIR HOMES
Gvernment spokeswoman Isabel Rodrguez said after a Cabinet meeting in Madrid that around 6,000 people on La Palma have been evacuated so far.
Further to this, 183 houses have been damaged following Sunday's volcanic eruption.
Meanwhile, in the neighbourhood of Todoque in La Palma, lava has continued bearing down. More than 1,000 people live in this neighbourhood, and it's said that emergency services are preparing evacuations.
The lava is gradually closing in on the more densely populated coastline after moving downhill across the island’s countryside.
However, scientists have warned that the lava flows could last for weeks or months.
- Milica Cosic
THE WARNING SIGNS
La Palma has a population of 85,000 and is one of eight islands in Spain’s Canary Islands.
Last week Spain’s National Geographic Institute said it detected 4,222 tremors in what scientists are calling an earthquake swarm around La Palma island since last Saturday.
An earthquake swarm is a cluster of quakes in one area during a short period and can indicate an approaching eruption.
Since last Saturday, there have been almost a thousand earthquakes on the islands.
On Tuesday, the Canary Island’s regional government put the island on a yellow alert for eruption.
The last eruption on the Canary Islands occurred underwater off the coast of El Hierro island in 2011 and that lasted five months.
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ACID RAIN NOT RULED OUT IN POPULATED AREAS
The State Meteorological Agency says it has not ruled out acid rain, which could occur as a result of the toxic gases being released from the volcanic eruption, although it says it is ‘unlikely’ at this time.
- Milica Cosic
LAVA FLOW FROM VOLCANO ON LA PALMA MEASURES AN AVERAGE OF SIX METERS HIGH
So far, the eruption of the volcano has not claimed any victims, but around 5,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes last night.
The scene in the area has been described as “devastating” by the president of the island council, Mariano Hernández Zapata.
Up in the Montaña Rajada mountains, lava flow measured an average of six meters high, and that was moving at a speed of around 300 meters per hour on Monday afternoon.
This is however much slower than the 700 meters an hour initially estimated when the lava first left the volcano.
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SECOND EARTHQUAKE HITS AS LAVA ADVANCE IS ‘UNSTOPPABLE’
A second earthquake hit La Palma last night.
The earthquake of magnitude 4.1 was recorded at around 9:30pm local time on Monday and was felt in several municipalities.
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WHY DID THE VOLCANO ERUPT AND HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?
A series of small tremors began to take place on September 11 in southwestern La Palma, which lead scientists to believe there could be magma pushing under the surface of the earth.
It is hard to say for certain how long the eruption will last.
Historical precedent and volcanic activity in the area suggest it could last several weeks, and perhaps even months.
- Milica Cosic
EXPLAINED: WHERE IS LA PALMA?
The island forms part of the Canary Islands of Spain, which are located off the northwestern coast of Africa.
It falls under the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and has a large volcanic caldera about 6 miles in diameter that was established as a national park.
The island is a tourist hotspot for Brit holidaymakers who flock to its beaches every summer.
The average time for a direct flight from London to La Palma is just under four-and-a-half hours and they regularly leave from the capital every day.
La Palma’s economy revolves around irrigation-based farming and bananas, tomatoes, and tobacco along with embroidery are its biggest exports.
- Milica Cosic
EARTHQUAKES ‘TRIGGER NEW ERUPTION’ AS HUNDREDS MORE FLEE AND 1,000 HOMES FACE DESTRUCTION
Multiple small earthquakes have triggered a "new eruption" on the Spanish island of La Palma today.
A new volcano vent, some 3,000 feet north of where the first eruption happened on Sunday, was blown open after yesterday's 3.8 magnitude quake.
After the initial eruption, small earthquakes hit the island giving authorities a warning that another eruption was likely.
Because of this warning, more than 5,000 people have been evacuated – avoiding hundreds of devastating casualties.
Meanwhile, hundreds more have been forced to flee as lava from the erupted volcano continues to spew out.
Read more here.
- Milica Cosic
ADVICE FOR BRITS
The UK government said last night: "On Sunday 19 September 2021, at approximately 15.15 local time, there was a volcanic eruption on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma.
"The immediate area of Cabeza de Vaca, El Paso has been evacuated."If you are in an affected area you should follow the advice of local authorities, including social media updates from Cabildo de La Palma.
"If you are planning to travel to the island imminently you are encouraged to contact your tour operators and airlines."
- Milica Cosic
WEEKS TO COME
Volcanologists fear the eruption could continue for weeks to come while it is estimated up to 10,000 could be evacuated in the coming days.
Locals not yet in the 'danger zone' have been told to keep windows and doors shut and to turn off water, gas and electricity sources.
People are also encouraged to keep their phone and a battery operated radio on them at all times and those with animals should follow evacuation guidelines.
Four villages are the main source of concern – including El Paso and Los Llanos de Aridane, Canary Islands regional president Angel Victor Torres said on Monday morning.
Around 500 tourists were rescued from a hotel in the coastal resort of Puerto Naos and offered emergency accommodation in an old barracks in Santa Cruz.
The British government has issued a warning to holidaymakers planning to travel to and from the luxury holiday destination after the volcano started rumbling and showing signs of activity last week.
- Milica Cosic
DRAMATIC VIDEO SHOWS LAVA SWALLOWING SWIMMING POOLS AND HOMES AS THOUSANDS FLEE
THOUSANDS have been forced to flee as lava from the erupted volcano on the Spanish isle of La Palma continues to spew out.
Streams of hot molten rock from the La Cumbre Vieja volcano swallowed swimming pools and homes in hellish scenes as it tore through El Paso.
Shocking video footage shows a river of orange-topped volcanic rock mercilessly surging through homes and pools as it makes its way towards the Atlantic Ocean.
The lava mercilessly swallows swimming pools and homes as it tears through El Paso Credit: AP Thousands of locals and tourists have been forced to evacuate after the La Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted Credit: AP - Milica Cosic
THOUSANDS OF TREMORS
A 3.8 magnitude quake was recorded before the eruption as vibrations from the seismic activity were felt on the surface.
Last week Spain’s National Geographic Institute said it detected 4,222 tremors in what scientists are calling an earthquake swarm around La Palma island since last Saturday.
Since last Saturday, there have been almost a thousand earthquakes on the islands.
- Milica Cosic
“THIS IS A CATASTROPHE.”
One of the houses that was destroyed by the lava flow was that of Alberto, a man in his forties who lives in El Paraíso.
He had nervously awaited news of his property last night, saying: “yesterday I was unsure, but today they confirmed that the lava has swallowed up my house.
“This is a catastrophe.”
Among the 5,000 people were Gerhard Beck and his wife. They ended up at a military camp after a night of being constantly moved from one place to another.
“We don’t know what happened to our house, but we fear the worst… We are going to a hotel for two days now. They have treated us well, but we’ve been very scared, really scared”, he explained.
They were evacuated from their homes yesterday, and along with 300 other people spent the night at the El Fuerte barracks on the outskirts of the island capital.
- Milica Cosic
LAVA FLOW FROM VOLCANO ON LA PALMA MEASURES AN AVERAGE OF SIX METERS HIGH
So far, the eruption of the volcano has not claimed any victims, but around 5,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes last night.
The scene in the area has been described as “devastating” by the president of the island council, Mariano Hernández Zapata.
Up in the Montaña Rajada mountains, lava flow measured an average of six meters high, and that was moving at a speed of around 300 meters per hour on Monday afternoon.
This is however much slower than the 700 meters an hour initially estimated when the lava first left the volcano.
- Milica Cosic
FEARS OF 'COLLAPSE OF LAND'
According to the US Geological Service, there are four main dangers linked to the ocean entry of lava.
This is: “the sudden collapse of new land and adjacent sea cliffs into the ocean, explosions triggered by the collapse, waves of scalding hot water washing onshore, and a steam plume that rains hydrochloric acid and tiny volcanic glass particles downwind from the entry point.”
- Milica Cosic
LAVA FROM LA PALMA VOLCANO COMES CLOSE TO THE SEA, RAISING RISK OF TOXIC GASES
The lava flow from the volcano that erupted on Sunday in La Palma, in Spain’s Canary Islands, is close to reaching the sea, its natural outlet.
However, according to the crisis team at the Canary Islands Volcano Emergency Plan, this “could lead to explosions and the emission of toxic gases”.
- Milica Cosic
MAIN POINTS:
- A Second earthquake hit La Palma last night
- Authorities ARE evacuating the infirm, farm animals from area
- Mandatory evacuation ordered for four villages
- Footage shows lava engulfing homes and flowing into swimming pools
'MANY PEOPLE ARE LOSING EVERYTHING THEY HAVE'
Local, Rayco Leal, described the situation, saying: "We heard a roar that at first we thought was another earthquake, but then we saw a column of smoke right and realised there was a high chance that the lava would descend into the house".
Francisco Machí, is calculating the time he had left to leave his home, saying: "At the speed of the lava flow, I will have to leave my house in a day or two. This is a catastrophe because many people are losing everything they have".
"I am very afraid, I never thought that I would be evacuated from my house," says Luz María, a resident of El Paraíso.
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