It is the longest eruption that the island has known and the third in a century, after those of the San Juan volcano, in 1949, and of Teneguia, in 1971. Some 33,000 inhabitants of several municipalities of the Spanish island of La Palma, in the Canary archipelago, have been ordered to confine themselves due to toxic gases emanating from the Cumbre Vieja volcano, which erupted almost three months ago, local authorities said.
The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, which began on September 19, is the first for fifty years on this small island located in the Atlantic Ocean. It caused no casualties, but caused enormous damage and the evacuation of more than 7,000 people, some of whom lost everything under the lava flows.
“Close the doors, the windows”
The regional government of the archipelago thus ordered “The confinement of the population (in the municipalities) of Los Llanos de Aridane, El Paso and Tazacorte, due to extremely unfavorable air quality due to sulfur dioxide” emitted by the volcano, he explained in a statement.
About 33,000 people reside in these three municipalities, or 38% of the total population of the island of La Palma, according to figures from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE).
“Close doors, windows, shutters and (prevent) any entry of air from outside. Confine yourself, if possible, in the rooms located furthest inside “ housing, advises the regional government. “Turn off the air conditioning and heating”, he advocates again, asking, “For more security, place tape at the joints of doors and windows”. “If you find yourself outside, be aware that a car is not a safe place and confine yourself to the first building you find”, add the authorities.