Airport on Spanish island of La Palma halts operations due to volcanic ash

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Nov 20 (EFE).- The airport on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma temporarily halted flights Saturday due to an accumulation of volcanic ash, operations company AENA said.

The volcano on the Cumbre Vieja ridge has been erupting since September 19. In two months, lava flows have covered vast swathes of land and destroyed over a thousands homes.

The temporary halt comes amid a deterioration of air quality, although flights in and out of the rest of the Canary Islands, which include popular tourist destinations like Tenerife and Lanzarote, remain operational as normal.

In the last two months, the volcano has spewed at least 100 million cubic meters of material, according to the latest estimations.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was due to visit the island Saturday. EFE

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