‘Rivers of Lava’ Still Flowing From La Palma Volcano

Spanish government geologists on Wednesday said the Cumbre Vieja on the Spanish island of La Palma is continuing to violently erupt with no signs of stopping or even slowing down. 

The geologist took video of huge pyroclastic blocks floating along a river of lava flowing from the volcano’s northern zone. Meanwhile, video filmed by the Volcanology Institute of the Canaries (INVOLCAN) showed the lava flows moving into the town of La Laguna approaching a gas station.

Officials say the station had been emptied of fuel and water in recent days in advance of the approaching flow.

Streams of red-hot lava have engulfed almost 800 hectares of land, destroying about 2,000 buildings and many banana plantations.

The volcano on one of the Canary Islands off northwest Africa has so far destroyed more than 1,800 buildings, mostly homes. Some 7,000 people have had to leave their homes.

The prompt evacuations have helped avoid casualties on the island of some 85,000 people. Scientists have seen no indication that the eruption is slowing, as rivers of lava continue flowing toward the sea.

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.

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