Volcanic explosions spewed red-hot lava high into the air on La Palma Saturday when a new vent opened, forcing the small Spanish island to close its airport and preventing some people from leaving.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano, which began erupting last Sunday, is entering a new explosive phase. The Institute of Volcanology of the Canary Islands, Involcan, reported that the new vent that has opened is to the west of the main vent.
Spanish airport operator Aena said the island’s airport was closed because of the volcano, which spewed thousands of tons of lava, destroyed hundreds of homes and forced the evacuation of about 6,000 people.
“The La Palma airport is not operating because of the accumulation of ash. Cleanup has begun, but the situation could change at any moment,” he wrote on Twitter.
Workers were sweeping volcanic ash off the runway, electronic scoreboards were showing canceled flights and the departure lounge was quiet as some people who arrived at the airport found they could not leave the island in the Atlantic.
“We were supposed to leave today, but the flight was canceled. There are no flights to Tenerife tomorrow, the next one will be on Monday, so we will have to stay two more nights,” said Laura, 46, from Madrid.
She had to return to the Spanish capital via Tenerife for work.
People evacuated from three other cities Friday will not be able to return to their homes to retrieve their belongings because of “the development of a volcanic emergency,” local authorities said.
“Volcanic observation measurements taken since the eruption began recorded the highest activity on Friday afternoon,” the emergency services said.
La Palma, with a population of more than 83,000, is one of the archipelagos that make up the Canary Islands.
In the quiet port of Tazacorte, fishermen described the devastating effects of the eruption on their livelihoods.
“We haven’t been out fishing in a week, the area is closed,” said José Nicolás San Luis Pérez, 49, who lost his home to the eruption.
“About half the people I know have lost their homes,” he told Reuters. “I meet friends on the street and we start crying.”
Authorities on Friday evacuated the towns of Tajuya, Tacande de Abajo and the part of Tacande de Arriba that had not yet been evacuated after a new vent opened in the volcano’s flank.
There have been no reports of deaths or serious injuries as a result of the volcanic eruption, but about 15% of the island’s economically important banana crop could be threatened, putting thousands of jobs at risk.
