La Palma volcano eruption raised from yellow to red alert

THE LA PALMA volcano eruption has had its alert level raised from yellow to red, and the deployment of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) has been requested

The La Palma volcano of Cumbre Vieja de La Palma, on the island of La Palma, in the Las Manchas area of the Canary Islands, that erupted this afternoon, Sunday, September 19, at around 4.10pm, has had its alert level raised from yellow to red, and the President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, has cancelled his planned trip to New York to fly to the island instead.

Lava and magma have been flowing from several ruptured fissures in the volcano since it erupted, with around 700 people already evacuated as a precaution on the coast of Los Llanos de Aridane, because the lava could well affect the main road that connects the capital of the municipality with Puerto Naos, as Lorena Hernandez, the deputy mayor and councillor for Citizen Security has informed Efe that among the evacuees are 500 tourists staying at the hotel in Puerto Naos, and another 200 people who reside in El Remo.

Anselmo Pestana, the Government representative in the Canary Islands, at the request of the General Directorate of Security and Emergencies of the Government of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, has announced that the intervention of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) has been requested this afternoon.

The president of the Cabildo de La Palma, Mariano Hernandez Zapata, confirmed that there have been no casualties, and has sent a message to the population of the island asking them to stay away from the area of the volcano, to avoid congesting the routes that are a priority for emergency services helping with the evacuations, as reported by cadenaser.es.

🔥mantle of lava running from the volcano of La Palma in our Canary archipelago 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BkAFuQSkwU

— @ezequieleg968 (@ezequieleg968) September 19, 2021

___________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to check The Euro Weekly News for all your up-to-date local and international news stories.