Island of La Palma continues to grow as lava pours into ocean
Santa Cruz de La Palma, Spain, Nov 22 (EFE).- The Spanish island of La Palma has grown by 43 hectares, the equivalent of 80 football pitches, as a result of the magma deltas the volcanic eruption has forged, satellite imagery confirmed Monday.
The latest data published by the European Copernicus satellite system added that 2,651 buildings had been flattened by lava flows.
The Cumbre Vieja continues to spout a steady flow of lava and feed several rivers of magma, and streams four and seven have merged, the Department of National Security said in its latest report.
The National Geographic Institute recorded some forty low magnitude earthquakes since midnight in the town of Villa de Mazo.
Air quality worsened over the weekend with rising sulfur dioxide levels, which improved throughout the morning, particularly in the eastern corner of the island.
Ash accumulation continues to present challenges and has forced the La Palma airport to remain closed, AENA reported.
Communications continue to suffer from disruption, as access routes to the southern highway are closed. The Aridane valley area, which was evacuated weeks ago and has been heavily affected by the eruption, is accessible by sea, the local government said Monday.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano began erupting on September 19 and most of its lava flows are traveling south of the La Laguna mountain. So far 1.058 hectares of land have been scorched. EFE
can.esl-rdg/ch
