New rivers of molten lava endanger La Palma

Unstoppable rivers of molten rock flowed towards the sea after a new vent in the Cumbre Vieja volcano blew open on La Palma on Tuesday, closing in on a densely populated area of the Spanish island.

The rivers of lava, up to six meters (nearly 20 feet) high, rolled down hillsides, burning and crushing everything in their path, as they gradually closed in on the island’s more densely populated coast.

La Palma experienced several small earthquakes after the vent opened up, two days after Cumbre Vieja erupted on Sunday.