Disasters & Accidents

La Palma police investigating death of likely to be 1st victim of volcano

Santa Cruz de La Palma, Spain, Nov 14 (EFE).- As a volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma continued to erupt for its eighth week Sunday, authorities are investigating the cause of death of what is likely to be the first victim of the eruption.

The victim is a 72-year-old man who was found lifeless in his home after going missing on Friday.

Authorities said they were investigating the cause of death but confirmed the man had been part of a volunteering group to clean ashes off rooftops in the El Corazoncillo neighborhood.

There have been several accidents of people falling off the roofs despite safety measures having been put in place, the local mayor said.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano has been erupting for 57 days since its first eruption on 19 September.

New lava streams are feeding into the already existing lava streams, without destroying more land but rather growing existing deltas.

The volcano has also destroyed 295,68 hectares of crops, including 169,5 hectares of banana trees, 59,9 hectares of vineyards and 24,8 hectares of avocado trees so far.

Over 2,600 buildings have been destroyed and another 116 are at risk of being swept away by lava. EFE

asd/mp/mg

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