From the BBC:
“Canary Islands: Airport
closed as volcano intensifies”
Intensifying volcanic explosions
have forced the airport on the Spanish island of La Palma to be closed. The
Cumbre Vieja volcano started erupting on Sunday with thousands evacuated and
more than 350 homes destroyed. A thick plume of smoke now extends four
kilometres (2.4 miles) into the air. Clouds of thick ash have made
flights out of the airport impossible, authorities said on Saturday. The
closure has prevented some leaving the island's airport, which mostly handles
many tourist flights and connections to other islands in the Canaries. Long
queues formed at the terminal as people as flights were cancelled, and some
travellers tried to get ferries off the island. The volcano is entering
a fresh explosive phase, spewing lava from a newly opened vent, officials say.
Airport operators say ash accumulation has made the airport
"inoperative", but that a clean-up operation is underway. Workers are
sweeping volcanic ash from the runway. On Friday, firefighters said they
were withdrawing from the area "due to the intensification of explosive
phenomena". No fatalities have been reported. Some 1,000
people in Tajuya, Tacande de Abajo and Tacande de Arriba were told to evacuate
on Friday due to the intensifying volcanic activity.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro
Sánchez said on Friday that the cabinet would next week declare the island a
"catastrophe zone". The Canary Islands government has already
announced a first round of financial aid for people who have lost their homes. The
volcano lies in the south of La Palma island, which is home to around 80,000
people. It last erupted 50 years ago, in 1971. Scientists are unsure how long
this eruption will last. A spokesperson for Spain's National Geographic
Institute told the BBC that past eruptions on La Palma have lasted between 24
and 84 days.
^ It’s sad to see such much
disruption from the volcano. ^
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