Nobody hurt but much damage in Spanish volcano eruption
Drone video of volcano erupting on La Palma. Sept. 20, 2021[OVERON, via ABC]
LA LAGUNA, Spain (AP) – Giant rivers of lava are tumbling slowly but relentlessly toward the sea after a volcano erupted on a Spanish island off northwest Africa. The lava is destroying everything in its path Monday. But prompt evacuations helped avoid casualties after Sunday’s eruption.
Scientists had been monitoring the area in recent days amid a surge in mostly small earthquakes.
The lava was moving at 700 meters (2,300 feet) per hour, according to the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute. Officials said they expected it to reach the Atlantic Ocean around sunset. The lava left black swathes of destruction through the sparsely populated, green countryside and destroyed more than 100 houses.