Volcano Roars Back To Life As Lava Nears The Sea In Spain
NDTV
Since September 19, black lava has been slowly flowing down the volcano's western flank toward the sea, destroying more than 500 houses as well as churches and banana plantations
The volcano on Spain's La Palma island began ejecting ash and smoke again on Monday after a brief lull, while hundreds of people in coastal villages were locked down in anticipation of the lava reaching the sea and releasing toxic gas.
A column of white smoke rose from the Cumbre Vieja volcano after several hours of calm around 11 am local time (1000 GMT), according to Reuters witnesses. Researchers confirmed it began spewing out lava at the same time.
"It's something normal with this type of eruption," said Miguel Angel Morcuende, director of the Pevolca response committee. "The volcano has periods of growth and periods of decay."
His Pevolca colleague, Maria Jose Blanco, said lower levels of gas and a reduced supply of material within the crater could have caused the drop in activity.
