Spanish eruption's end brings 'emotional relief,' rebuilding

MADRID — Authorities connected 1 of Spain’s Canary Islands declared a volcanic eruption that started successful September officially finished Saturday pursuing 10 days of nary lava flows, seismic enactment oregon important sulfur dioxide emissions.

But the exigency successful La Palma, the astir northwest land successful the Atlantic Ocean archipelago, is not implicit owed to the wide harm the eruption caused, the manager of the Canaries’ volcanic exigency committee said successful announcing the much-anticipated milestone.

“It’s not joyousness oregon restitution - however we tin specify what we feel? It’s an affectional relief. And hope,” Pevolca manager Julio Pérez said. “Because now, we tin use ourselves and absorption wholly connected the reconstruction work.”

Fiery molten stone flowing down toward the oversea destroyed astir 3,000 buildings, entombed banana plantations and vineyards, ruined irrigation systems and chopped disconnected roads. But nary injuries oregon deaths were straight linked to the eruption.

Pérez, who is besides the region’s curate of nationalist administration, justness and security, said the archipelago’s authorities valued the nonaccomplishment of buildings and infrastructure astatine much than 900 cardinal euros ($1 billion).

Volcanologists said they needed to certify that 3 cardinal variables - gas, lava and tremors - had subsided successful the Cumbre Vieja ridge for 10 days successful bid to state the volcano’s evident exhaustion. Since the eruption started connected Sept. 19, erstwhile periods of reduced enactment were followed by reignitions.

On the eve of Dec. 14, the volcano fell soundless aft flaring for 85 days and 8 hours, making it La Palma’s longest eruption connected record.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the eruption’s extremity “the champion Christmas present.”

“We volition proceed moving together, each institutions, to relaunch the marvelous land of La Palma and repair the damage,” helium tweeted.

Farming and tourism are the main industries connected the Canary Islands, a fashionable destination for galore European vacationers owed to their mild climate.