In the Spanish Canary Islands, a volcano eruption has continued for several days now. Hot lava and volcanic rocks have covered a 103-hectare wide area, including parts of villages and a town, British public broadcaster BBC reports.
On the Canary island of La Palma, lava has started spewing from a new crack in the Cumbre Vieja volcano. Over 6,000 people have fled from lava that has buried hundreds of homes since the eruption began on Sunday, September 19.
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Four earthquakes hit the island shortly after the new eruption vent opened. Local officials said the lava could trigger a chemical reaction that causes explosions and the release of toxic gases when it reaches the sea.
Marine institutions, meanwhile, have set up an exclusion zone of two nautical miles (3.7km) at sea, in the area where the lava is heading. The measure has been taken «to prevent onlookers on boats and prevent the gases from affecting people», the president of the island’s council, Mariano Hernández, announced, BBC reports.
Canary Island volcano covers 103 hectares of land with lava
