Lava flow at La Palma reaches the sea, Canary Islands

Lava flow produced by the eruption at Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands has reached the sea at Playa Nueva, north of Los Guirres beach in the municipality of Tazacorte, at 23:00 UTC on September 28, 2021.

Faced with the possibility of emissions of gases that are harmful to health and the generation of explosions in the contact of the lava with the seawater, the emergency services recommend that the residents of the area remain in their homes, maintaining an area of ​​exclusion from al less 3.5 km (2.1 miles).¹

Lava was flowing at around 300 m (980 feet) per hour on September 28, crossing the Costa Highway (LP-2132) at the junction of the Camino Pampillo. This was the last highway that linked the neighborhoods of the southern and northern municipalities of El Paso, Los Llanos de Aridane, and Tazacorde.

In its advance, the magma is burning greenhouse plastic and fertilizers, generating toxic emissions from the combustion of these materials.

However, the Government of the Canary Islands has reported that the air quality is good.

At the moment, although the airspace is open, there are no flights to or from La Palma.

As of September 28, lava flows have destroyed 656 buildings and more than 19 km (11.8 miles) of roads.

References:

¹ La Palma / volcanic eruption update by Departmento de Seguridad Nacional (DSN) – 07:00 UTC, September 29, 2021

Featured image credit: RTVC (stillshot)