La Palma and Tenerife airports threatened by volcanic ash clouds

La Palma and Tenerife airports are threatened with closure by volcanic ash clouds.

The lava flow from the Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption on La Palma in the Canary Islands continues its advance, already covering an area of ​​525.77 hectares. The red hot magma has so far destroyed 1,281 buildings and damaged 132 hectares of crops- including a banana plantation.

Experts are monitoring one of the branches of the northern flows, which is located in the industrial park of Los Llanos de Aridane. given the possibility that its route may vary, warns the Department of Homeland Security in its latest report.

Despite the improvement in weather conditions in recent hours, a westward turn of the wind is expected on Monday, which will cause a displacement of the ash cloud that could affect the activity of the La Palma airport. The Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, announced this Sunday that the Navy joins, as of Monday, the ash cleaning tasks.

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Authorities on La Palma monitored a new stream of molten rock on Sunday night, October 10. Anything in the path of the lava — homes, farms, swimming pools and industrial buildings in the largely agricultural area — have been consumed.

The collapse Saturday of part of the volcanic cone sent a flood of bright red lava pouring down from the Cumbre Vieja ridge that initially cracked open on Sept. 19. The fast-flowing stream carried away huge chunks of lava that had already hardened.

“We cannot say that we expect the eruption that began 21 days ago to end anytime soon,” said Julio Pérez, the regional minister for security on the Canary Islands.

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