On Friday (24), the volcano in the Canary Islands entered an explosive phase, with two new mouths, and returned to expel rivers of lava, leading to the evacuation of approximately 160 residents. Spanish researchers have recorded a massive explosion at the volcano, located in La Palma, one of the Canary Islands, which could cause the main volcanic cone to partially or completely collapse.
The newspaper Diario de Notices published a video of a “brutal” explosion from the peak, with the shock wave clearly visible as it passed through the smoke and ash.
The strong explosion caused approximately 160 residents of Tajuya, Tacande de Arriba and Tacande de Abajo to leave their homes in just 15 minutes, following the recommendations of the scientific committee of the Special Plan for Civil Protection against Volcanic Risk in the Canary Islands, according to local media.
“The dangers that the population would face if the volcanic cone were to collapse would be lava flows of high temperature and gas level, not very viscous and that could jump over topographical obstacles,” explained María José Blanco, director of the National Geographic Institute in the archipelago.
“The worst scenario would be the partial or complete collapse of the eruptive cone, generating high-speed flows that could literally expand, reaching areas that were not previously evacuated,” said the expert.
La Palma is one of the smallest of the seven Canary Islands, a Spanish territory in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Morocco and Western Sahara.