A man was found dead Saturday morning in the security perimeter set up because of the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma, authorities said, still unaware of the cause of death.
The eruption, underway for nearly two months (56 days) had so far not killed anybody but the lava flows and the gas emissions had forced the authorities to close part of the territory of the island.
The authorities "awaiting the autopsy"
It is in this area that the body of a man was found, in the town of El Paso, confirmed the civil guard, without giving further details on the identity of the victim, the circumstances of his death or of the discovery of his body.
Access to the place had been occasionally authorized in order to allow residents to recover personal effects, added the civil guard.
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Eruption in the Canaries: "Many people have lost everything" because of the volcano
"A person was found dead this morning (...) and we are waiting to learn more to be able to express ourselves with certainty on the causes of death", also declared at a press conference Miguel Angel Morcuende, the technical director of the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan (Pevolca).
He added that the authorities remained "awaiting the autopsy", the date of the results of which was not yet known.
Over 1,000 hectares ravaged by lava
Lava flows from the Cumbre Vieja volcano have already devastated 1,018 ha and washed away several thousand buildings, including houses, and destroyed many crops, including banana plantations.
Several hundred of the 85,000 inhabitants of the island have been evacuated and relocated since the start of this eruption, the third in a century, after that of the San Juan volcano in 1949 and that of Teneguia in 1971.
Read alsoCanaries: on the edge of Cumbre Vieja, the ruthless erupting volcano in photos
"We are at the mercy of the volcano, only he can decide when all this will be over," declared the head of the regional government, Angel Victor Torres, in October to reporters.
The Spanish central government and the regional government of the Canaries have disbursed 300 million euros for the reconstruction of the island, which depends mainly on tourism and banana plantations.
The Socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, pledged to rebuild “100% what the volcano destroyed” on “this wonderful island”.
