Volcanic eruption in La Palma: ‘sound of 20 fighter planes departing’, 5,000 people have already been evacuated

On the Canary island of La Palma, a volcano erupts in the Cumbre Vieja region. In 1971, fifty years ago, the volcano erupted again. At least 5,000 people had to leave their homes. A large ash cloud can be seen over the island. The sound is too loud. “It looks like twenty fighter planes have left,” a local guide said.

HR, IB, TTR

09-20-21, 08:40
Last updated:
10:26

Source:
Reuters, Belga, Radio 1, BBC

Thousands of seismic shocks have been recorded in recent days. In addition, the Earth appeared in places, indicating that magma was accumulating under the Cumbre Vieja volcano cluster. According to RTVE TV, there are at least four places where ash, smoke and lava come from

“There is a lot of noise from the explosion. We feel the ash flutter. That was not the case yesterday. The wind is now blowing in our direction. It is still in full swing. We did not go out because they forgot our street. We live in a dead end. We think we are safe at the moment , because the current is going the other way. I don’t think we’ll be evacuated yet, but of course I don’t know about it,” Anne van den Ede told HLN LIVE. “Our car is ready anyway to go. If we have to, we can jump in the car right away.”

“According to the forecast, it may take another two to three weeks,” the Flemish people in La Palma continue. The message reads: “The fire brigade is everywhere.” “Hundreds of homes have been swallowed up by the lava flow.”

Too loud

Jonas Perez, the local guide on the island, also told the BBC that he could still feel the tremors. “The most surprising thing is the sound coming from the volcano… It’s very loud and it’s like leaving 20 fighter planes.”

As a precaution, the evacuation of less mobile people near the volcano began on Sunday evening. In total, about 5,000 people were evacuated. The authorities had already called on people in the vicinity of the volcanic area to prepare a suitcase in case of evacuation. Four villages were evacuated, including El Paso and Los Llanos de Aridan.

“material damage”

“There does not seem to be a need to evacuate more people. The lava is moving towards the coast and will only cause material damage,” said Canary Islands President Angel Victor Torres. “According to local experts, there are about 17 to 20 million cubic meters of lava.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has postponed a scheduled trip to New York while he is in La Palma to monitor the situation there.

Not a popular tourist destination

Unlike Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, and Tenerife, La Palma is not a popular tourist destination in the Canary Islands. Flights to and from the Canary Islands will continue as usual for the time being. Report this to the airport manager, Ayna.

La Palma volcano’s last eruption was in October 1971, when the Tinguya volcano spewed lava for three weeks.

Are you in La Palma and want to watch a volcanic eruption? Please contact our editors via [email protected]. Don’t forget to include your phone number.