Canaries volcano lava reaches sea, raising toxic gas fears

The Spanish archipelago had earlier declared an exclusion zone of two nautical miles around the location the lava was expected to enter the Atlantic and asked residents to stay at home.La Cumbre Vieja volcano, which straddles a southern ridge in La Palma, an island with 85,000 inhabitants, erupted on September 19, spewing out rivers of lava that have slowly crept towards the sea.Residents of several areas of Tazacorte, a village near the coast, were told Monday to stay at home to avoid harm from the release of toxic gases that can take place due to a reaction between the 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit) molten lava and water.Residents were warned to stay home due to "the possibility that there will be a small shock when the magma enters the seawater, and that this small shock causes vapours which can be toxic," stressed Miguel Angel Morcuende, technical director of the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan (Pevolca).Experts say the entry of lava into the seawater could cause explosions and a fragmentation of the molten rock like gunshots. The two last eruptions on La Palma, in 1949 and 1971, killed a total of three people, two of them from gas inhalation.The government on Tuesday released 10.5 million euros ($12.3 million) in aid for victims of the eruption, in particular to buy housing for those whose homes were engulfed in lava.The lava flow has destroyed several roads, with the Canaries regional head Angel Victor Torres estimating last week that the damage to land and property would exceed 400 million euros.Domestic flights were cancelled on Friday and the airport was closed the following day.Experts estimate the eruption could last for several weeks, or even months.chz/mtp/dva/jah... Via news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site https://www.news.com.au