The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma, Saturday, recorded “strong eruptions” and lava emission, while most scheduled flights to the island’s airport were canceled.
About a month after the beginning of the eruption, the largest earthquake (4.6) occurred today, at a depth of 37 kilometers, a circumstance that, according to the scientific spokesman for the Volcanic Emergency Plan for the Canary Islands (Pivolca), Maria Jose Blanco, is possible to repeat.
Also today, airlines have grounded La Palma airport due to the ash cloud from the volcano that could affect the airspace between La Palma and La Gomera and northern Tenerife.
Despite the fact that airports in the rest of the archipelago continue to operate, the one in La Palma remained with significant restrictions, resulting in the cancellation of 30 out of 34 scheduled flights.
“The development of an ash cloud from the eruption of the La Palma volcano, forces us to keep aircraft connected to the island on the ground temporarily until Sunday,” Binter Airways announced in a statement issued today.
Bad weather conditions will remain between 24 and 36 hours, Blanco said, which at the press conference after the Pevolka meeting gave good news: The new volcanic point that appeared on Friday with less activity today and continues to expel only ash.
This new volcanic point is not expected to emit magma and, in principle, its activity is limited to the formation of an ash plume up to 4,500 meters high.
According to experts, the presence of lava tubes and the fact that the fuses are slightly increased in height and width makes the outflow of lava difficult.
The area affected by the eruption is about 742 hectares, with a maximum width of 2,350 meters, with 1,923 buildings damaged, of which 1,826 are completely destroyed and 97 are in danger.
