View of the Cumbre Vieja Volcano, in La Palma, on Thursday night.Samuel Sánchez
The Coordination and Emergency Center of the Government of the Canary Islands announced this Friday that the La Palma volcano, which erupted last Sunday, has intensified the explosive phenomena, which has caused the scope of the expelled pyroclastic material to increase and to continue emitting ash. This new situation has forced the evacuation of new populations, Tajuya, Tacande de Abajo and the part of Tacande de Arriba that was still out of danger, and residents have been asked to go to the municipal soccer field in El Paso. The worsening situation has forced the airlines Iberia, Binter and Canaryfly to suspend all their flights with La Palma.
Just a few minutes earlier, those three towns, the closest to the eruption outside the security perimeter already evacuated, had received a confinement order.
In a message issued by the 112 of the Canary Islands, Pevolca explains that the explosiveness of the eruption that began on Sunday has intensified, the expulsion of pyroclastic material has increased and the emission of ash is becoming stronger.
The explosions have become more frequent in the last few minutes and are perfectly audible from all points of the municipalities of El Paso (where the volcano is located) and Los Llanos de Aridane (the most populated on the island).
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The Civil Guard has reached the same point where the National Geographic Institute has its operational center, about three kilometers from the volcano, to evacuate the area, full of tourists and onlookers.
It is the place where the televisions perform their live shows, next to the La Sagrada Familia parish, in a viewpoint with an ideal view of the volcano.
Under that parish, in a municipal office, the journalists have a makeshift office.
You can no longer be there.
"Either they get into the house or they have to leave, because the explosiveness is increasing," the agents alerted the curious, reports
Javier Salas
from El Llano.
The terraces of the hotel industry in the town of El Paso have been left deserted and people take refuge inside the restaurants to follow the information on television.
Thus they flee from the ash, the continuous passing of vehicles with sirens and the impact of the shock waves of the volcanic explosivity, which hit the windows of the entire municipality.
All under a black sky, caused by the cloud of smoke from the eruption.
The new stream that emerged this Friday, whose ashes are reaching the neighboring island of La Gomera, has large blocks that could be associated with the partial collapse of the initial eruptive center.
The oldest main stream is now moving at a speed of less than one meter per hour.
This slowdown has been taking place in recent days.