Volcanic eruption over La Palma / Spain: German tourists describe dramatic ash rain – “weapons burned”

Since Sunday we’ve been receiving apocalyptic photos from the Canary Islands of La Palma. The lava emanating from the volcano there threatens thousands of people – including tourists.

La Palma/Madrid – The volcano Cumbre Vieja on the Canary Islands of La Palma has been shedding ash, rocks and lava since Sunday. The last time he did this was in 1971. Even before the volcano erupted on Sunday, seismic activity had increased on the Canary Islands. According to the Guardia Civil, it has remained high since then, even though it has stabilized. The volcano ejected lava, ash and smoke up to 4,200 meters high, which is why flight safety at the airfield was recently questioned.

The end of the volcanic eruption is not yet in sight. Cambre Vieja volcano continues to spew lava into the sky. A toxic ash rain covers large parts of the Canary Islands and lava continues to flow towards the sea. So far, it has destroyed about 350 homes and large areas of the island’s large banana plantations. Roads and power lines also disappeared under the lava – the roughly 166-hectare island is now covered with lava.

Volcanic eruption on Canary Islands: 15 m . lava cover at a height of

Lava now flows more slowly, but this could mean that it spreads further over land and does not flow into the ocean. The lava layer partially reached a height of 15 meters as a result of the meltdown. However, island residents now have more time to evacuate themselves and their belongings.

A restricted area was introduced to within two nautical miles of the point where lava could possibly flow into the ocean. However, it is not yet decided whether the lava will reach the sea or not. If lava flows into the ocean, a dangerous chemical reaction occurs, which, among other things, manifests itself as a water vapor explosion.

After volcanic eruption: Sulfur dioxide cloud threatens entire western Mediterranean region

However, volcanic eruptions have an impact not only on the island of La Palma and surrounding areas, but also on large parts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cumbre Vieja has been spewing between 6,000 and 11,500 tons of sulfur dioxide every day since Sunday, according to the Canarian Volcano Research Institute Involcan. This cloud of gas has already reached the coast of Morocco and it is also expected to hit mainland Spain.

From there it will spread to the Balearic Islands and southern France. According to various calculations, the cloud is likely to cover the entire western Mediterranean and large parts of the Maghreb region. The result of a volcanic eruption can last between three and twelve weeks.

Life-threatening: Vacationers get caught in a rain of ash when volcano erupts

Thousands of people – including tourists – were evacuated just before the volcanic eruption was on the horizon. Like many, a German tourist couple was also shocked by the volcanic eruption. like the couple traveling in a converted fire brigade image Reportedly, they were on the floor of Cambre Viejas on the day of the volcanic eruption.

According to his own statement, he was only 800 meters away from the volcano when lava and ash started erupting from the volcano. Unlike the residents, they were able to quickly escape with their car, where they kept all their belongings. According to their own statements, they see the lava from a short distance. However, in doing so, they were caught in a rain of hot ash, which “burned their hands”. They are now at Los Llanos de Ariadne on La Palma, which has not been evacuated. (Feather)

Image list: © Arturo Jiménez / DPA