After 3 months: The eruption of the volcano in La Palma has ended
Reuters
26/12/2021
Sunday, 26 December 2021, 11:59 Updated: 12:15
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
Share on general
Comments
Comments
Close to a hundred days of eruption.
Lava flows from the volcano, last month (Photo: Giphy)
Scientists announced yesterday (Saturday) that the eruption of the volcano on the island of La Palma in Spain ended after three months.
Now, the islanders can breathe a sigh of relief after nearly a hundred days since the Kombara Vieja volcano began to emit lava, rocks and ash that have shaken the lives of thousands of people.
After erupting on September 19, the volcano suddenly went silent on December 12, but authorities, fearing false hopes, waited until Christmas to announce a return to routine.
"What I want to say today can be said in just four words: the eruption has come to an end," the president of the Canary Islands Regional Security Department, Julio Perez, said at a news conference.
"I'm not sure it's over. I do not trust this beast at all" (Photo: AP)
The government has pledged € 400 million to rehabilitate the island.
Ruined houses in La Palma (Photo: AP)
During the eruption, the lava that slid down the volcano took with it homes, churches and many of the banana plantations that make up about half of the island's exports.
Although much property was destroyed, the eruption did not claim human life.
Maria Jose Blanco, director of the National Geographic Institute in the Canary Islands, said all indications were that the eruption had come to an end due to a lack of energy.
However, she did not rule out that the volcano would resurface in the future.
According to the final data of the emergency services, the lava destroyed about 3,000 properties and it covered an area of more than 12 square kilometers - about 1,500 football pitches. Are uninhabitable due to the damage caused by the ash.On some of the plantations on the island can now only be reached by sea because many roads have remained blocked.
Man photographs volcanic eruption, September (Photo: Reuters)
Jacqueline Rahm and Jürgen Dultz, from Germany, were among those forced to vacate their rented house in the town of Todok and move to their small sailing boat for seven weeks.
"We could not save any furniture, none of my paintings, all under lava," said 49-year-old Rahm.
She added that they would move to the nearby Tenerife Island after Christmas.
"I'm not sure it's over. I do not trust this beast at all."
The roars of the volcano that served as a constant reminder of the eruption have faded and the residents no longer have to carry umbrellas and glasses from the ashes, but the mighty cleansing operation has just begun.
The government has pledged more than € 400 million to rehabilitate the island, but residents and businesses have complained that the funds are being transferred slowly.
news
World news
Europe
Tags
Spain
Volcanoes
