One of the two lava flows from the Cumbre Vieja volcano, which erupted on Sunday on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary archipelago, has stopped advancing, authorities said on Thursday.
Read also Volcanic eruption in the Canaries: the lava advances very slowly, the cloud should cover the Maghreb
"
One of the lava flows has stopped,
" Maria José Blanco, director of the National Geographic Institute (IGN), told reporters after a meeting of the authorities to monitor the situation.
The volcano "remains active"
The other flow, whose width reaches 500 meters, "
continues to progress, but much more slowly than before
" in particular because of the topography, she added before stressing that the flows should not reach in the 'immediate ocean, "
neither today nor tomorrow
", Friday.
Read also IN IMAGES - Eruption in the Canaries: lava slowly descends towards the sea, feared toxic gases
The authorities fear the arrival of lava in the sea because of the emission of toxic gases that it could cause.
Maria José Blanco, however, clarified that this slowing of the flows did not mean that the eruption had lost in intensity.
The volcano "
remains active, with a column (of ash and gas) reaching 4,500 meters above sea level,
" she said.
According to the latest data from Copernicus, the European system of geospatial measurements, lava has so far destroyed 350 buildings and covered 166.2 hectares - or 30 buildings and 12 hectares more than the day before - on the island, whose main activity economic is the cultivation of bananas.
"Help will not be lacking"
The eruption of Cumbre Vieja, which left no injuries or fatalities, resulted in the evacuation of 6,100 people, including 400 tourists.
King Felipe VI visited the island on Thursday accompanied by Queen Letizia and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, returning from the UN General Assembly in New York.
"
Aid will not be lacking
", promised the Head of State to the evacuees he met, assuring that the various administrations "
will do everything in their power
".
“
These are days and nights of immense sadness and immense anguish for all these families,
” he commented.
