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ARCHIVED - La Palma volcano cone collapses causing more lava to spew out
Spanish President says tourists are still welcome despite increased earthquake activity
The flow of lava from the La Palma volcano has increased since last night after one of the cones of the volcano gave way. The top of the peak of one of the volcano mouths crumbled in on itself at just after 9pm on Sunday October 3, causing some of the mouths to join together and eject more molten liquid spewing down the mountainside and into the sea.
Thankfully, the additional lava coming from the volcano has not opened up a new path of destruction, but is continuing to follow the same channel as the rest, according to an official spokesman of the Canary Islands Government.
Nos despedimos por hoy con estas imágenes de la #ErupcionenLaPalma de esta tarde / We say goodbye for today with these images of the #LaPalmaeruption this afternoon #LaPalma pic.twitter.com/JaK4PmUvru
— INVOLCAN (@involcan) October 3, 2021
There seems to be no end in sight for the eruption, which started on September 19, after a fresh wave of explosive activity rocked the Canary Island late last week.
La Palma earthquakes
There has also been a so-called ‘seismic swarm’ in the south of the island of La Palma, with more than 40 earthquakes recorded last night in the municipalities of Fuencaliente and Mazo.
In general, the earthquakes are occurring at depths of between 7 and 14 kilometres belowground, with magnitudes ranging between 2.3 and 3.4 on the Richter scale. Two of them, one to the northeast of Fuencaliente at 4.36am and the other in the southwest of Mazo at 5.20am, were strong enough to be felt aboveground, measuring 3.4 each on the Richter scale.
Financial aid to volcano victims
At the same time, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez has announced a new rehabilitation package of 206 million euros to help fund extra emergency services and to reconstruct the island after the eruption. This will be in addition to the 10-million-euro care package to help buy homes and basic necessities for people who lost their homes in the lava floods.
President Sánchez spoke from La Palma, which he visited again this weekend in a show of solidarity with the local community who have suffered so much. “We will be there to tackle the enormous task of rebuilding La Palma and to offer a horizon of prosperity, progress and tranquillity,” he said, and went on to underline the personal strength of character of Spaniards in responding to the tragedy: “The value of unity and strength in the response to the emergency and the reconstruction of the state… will be fundamental.”
He added that whilst parts of the south of the island are closed off despite ‘volcano tourists’ endangering themselves and getting in the way of emergency services, normal tourists are still free and welcome to visit the island, since La Palma is “a safe place where they can come and enjoy the island, and the institutions are obviously working to guarantee the security and peace of mind that its inhabitants deserve.”
Image 1: Involcan
Image 2: IGN
