Fiona Govan
DRAMATIC footage captured by drone shows the red hot lava flows carrying huge boulders surging towards the sea on the island of La Palma.
The rivers of molten rock are flowing faster now, surging from the vents in the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge towards the sea and destroying everything in their path.
More than 640 hectares have been covered over in lava including large areas of banana plantations which are a mainstay of the island’s economy.
Close to 7,000 people have been evacuated since the eruption began more than three-and-a-half weeks ago on September 19 and more than 1,400 buildings have been destroyed.
Experts warned that there are no signs the eruption is close to ending.
“The volcano’s activity is not stopping and it doesn’t seem that we can expect to observe a reduction in the coming days,” said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday, during his fourth visit to the island since the eruption.
“The levels of sulphur dioxide don’t currently lead us to think the end of the eruption will be in the short or medium term,” confirmed Maria Jose Blanco, from the Canaries’ volcanologist group Pevolca.
READ MORE:
- Volcano latest: New lava threat forces evacuation of 700 more residents on La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands
- Lava chasers: Volcano tours prove popular in the Canary Islands as La Palma eruption continues
- All the volcano latest on the Olive Press
