The volcano on La Palma is gradually destroying large parts of the island.
Residents fear for their livelihoods.
Nobody knows when the outbreak will be over.
La Palma - there seems to be no end in sight.
For five weeks the previously unnamed fire mountain in the Cumbre
Vieja in the south of the island of La Palma
has been spitting out
large amounts of lava, smoke and ash *.
The approximately 85,000 inhabitants of the Canary Island simply cannot rest.
The volcanic eruption continued unabated on Sunday.
The effects of the natural disaster can even be felt in Germany *.
Volcanic eruption on La Palma: A disaster in slow motion for those affected
The lava slowly but inexorably buried one building after the other - on Sunday it was already 2270, as the state TV broadcaster RTVE reported.
Around 900 hectares, which corresponds to more than 1200 soccer fields, are covered with a black lava crust several meters thick: residential areas, banana plantations, roads, irrigation basins, greenhouses, gardens as well as forest and bushland.
Numerous livelihoods are at risk - many residents have already lost everything.
+
Trees stand on a blanket of volcanic ash on La Palma.
© Daniel Roca / dpa
For those affected, around 7000 of whom had to leave their homes, it is a slow-motion disaster.
How high the total damage is currently remains unclear.
Weeks ago the island government spoke of 400 million euros, but this estimate is now out of date.
Video: Residents on La Palma clean up - "Ash becomes hard as cement"
Volcanologists cannot give a forecast - "It may still take months"
Many light to medium earthquakes also pulled people's nerves.
On Sunday alone the earth shook almost 80 times.
Volcanologists cannot say how long the eruption will last.
It could take weeks or months.
The last eruption in 1971 ended after 24 days, the previous one in 1949 after 42 days.
(tkip / dpa) * Merkur.de / bayern is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA