For the long-suffering people on the Canary Island of La Palma, which belongs to Spain, there was a special Christmas present on Saturday. The volcano in Cumbre Vieja, which erupted on September 19, suddenly came to a standstill on the evening of December 13.
Since then there have been no more explosive discharges, no tremors in the volcano and hardly any earthquakes in the depths have been measured. Nevertheless, Pevolca spokesman Miguel Ángel Morcuende warned that the still nameless volcano would remain unpredictable and could suddenly awaken to new life. In addition, the gases that are still escaping are dangerous. Everyone who returned to their homes near the volcano to remove ashes or secure important items should ventilate the buildings for at least 15 minutes beforehand, state TV broadcaster RTVE reported on Saturday.
Since the eruption began on September 19, the lava, which is more than 1,000 degrees Celsius, has destroyed almost 2,900 homes and other structures. Almost 1,200 hectares were covered with a meter-thick layer of lava. More than 7,000 residents had to be brought to safety, the damage is estimated at more than 900 million euros.
Source: Nachrichten
