Volcano eruption in La Palma: The lava river swallows everything in its path – “Shut up in your homes”

The emergency authorities gave an order to the residents of the area on the east coast of the island early this morning. La Palma to be closed in their homes as the lava released from the volcano Kubre Vieha approaches the sea.

The 1,250-degree Celsius lava could reach the Atlantic Ocean in the next few hours, possibly causing explosions and creating clouds of toxic gases over the island, the Canary Islands emergency service warned this morning.

“People should follow the authorities’ instructions and stay in their homes with their doors and windows closed,” the service said in a Twitter post.

Residents of the coastal areas of San Borodon, Marina Alta and Baha and La Contesa have been ordered to stay at home.

Parts of land and houses are covered by a black mass

Reuters photos from a drone show a rapid river of lava flowing down the slopes of the crater of the volcano, passing near houses, and parts of land and buildings to be covered by a black mass of older, slower lava.

This morning after dawn, the volcano was quieter than the previous days.

Since the volcano erupted on September 19, the lava that has erupted has covered more than 2,300 acres, according to the EU satellite monitoring service Copernicus, swallowing hundreds of homes as well as roads, schools, churches and banana plantations, and thousands of people to move away from their homes.

No casualties or serious injuries have been reported so far after the eruption, but about 15% of the island’s banana crop may have been endangered, threatening thousands of jobs.

La Palma, which has a population of over 83,000, is one of the islands that make up the Canary Islands archipelago.