Eruption on Spanish island could last 3 months, experts say

EL PASO, Canary Islands — The volcanic eruption connected a Spanish land and its aftermath could past for up to 84 days, experts said Wednesday.

The Canary Island Volcanology Institute said it based its calculation connected the magnitude of erstwhile eruptions connected the archipelago, which similar the latest eruption were followed by dense lava flows and lasting seismic activity.

The institute reported that Tuesday nighttime saw a beardown summation successful the fig of smaller eruptions that hurl rocks and cinders precocious into the aerial connected the land of La Palma, 1 of the Canary Islands disconnected northwest Africa.

Authorities accidental that dangers inactive prevarication up for residents, including earthquakes, lava flows, toxic gases, volcanic ash and acerb rain.

Since past Sunday’s eruption, almighty rivers of unstoppable lava — up to six meters (nearly 20 feet) precocious — person swallowed up 185 buildings, mostly homes successful the countryside.

The lava present covers 154 hectares, according to the Volcanology Institute.

The lava flows were heading downhill toward the island’s much densely populated coast. Some 1,000 radical were evacuated precocious Tuesday from the vicinity of Todoque, connected the shoreline, bringing the full fig of evacuated radical to astir 6,000.

The gathering of the lava, whose somesthesia exceeds 1,000 degrees Celsius (more than 1,800 F), with a assemblage of h2o could origin explosions and nutrient clouds of toxic gas.

Prompt evacuations person helped debar immoderate casualties from the eruption, though harm to homes, infrastructure and farmland is significant, officials say.

Emergency services connected the land attempted precocious Tuesday to divert immoderate of the lava by utilizing front-loaders to wide a way for the molten stone to follow, hoping to steer it distant from properties. Officials said they didn’t cognize if it would work.

The volcano has besides been spewing retired betwixt 8,000 and 10,500 tons of sulfur dioxide — which besides affects the lungs — each day, the Volcanology Institute said.

Barry Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal.