MADRID: Authorities on the Spanish island of La Palma on Tuesday lifted a lockdown order affecting 3,000 people, imposed for fear lava from an erupting volcano could release toxic gases as it hit the sea.
Red-hot lava from the Cumbre Vieja volcano, which has been erupting since September 19, on Monday began sliding down a cliff into the Atlantic Ocean.
Soldiers were deployed to measure air quality in the area and residents of three nearby coastal towns were told to stay inside with doors and windows shut, as wind blew the fumes inland.
But on Tuesday the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan (Pevolca) lifted the confinement order “after confirming that the arrival of the lava flow did not affect residents,” local emergency services said on Twitter.
This is the third time that a lava flow has reached the Atlantic Ocean since the volcano began erupting two months ago, covering large areas with ash.
All flights to and from La Palma’s airport were canceled on Tuesday for the second straight day because of the ash.
Residents of La Palma’s capital, Santa Cruz, were on Monday advised to wear high-filtration FFP2 masks outdoors for the first time since the eruption, to protect against high concentrations of sulfur dioxide.
Most of the island of around 85,000 people, part of the Canary Islands archipelago off northwestern Africa, has been unaffected by the eruption, with the lava flow concentrated on the western side.
The molten rock has covered 1,065 hectares (2,630 acres) and destroyed nearly 1,500 buildings, mainly homes, according to Copernicus, the European Union’s satellite monitoring service.
Provisional damage was estimated on Friday at nearly 900 million euros ($1 billion), according to the regional government.
Lockdown order lifted on Spanish volcano isle
https://arab.news/mq2d9
Lockdown order lifted on Spanish volcano isle
- Red-hot lava from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on Monday began sliding down a cliff into the Atlantic Ocean
- Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan on Tuesday lifted the confinement order
Russian drone attack forces power cuts in Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih, military says
- Kyiv says the campaign has forced rolling outages and emergency cuts to cities across the country, as repair crews work under fire and Ukraine relies on air defenses and electricity imports to stabilize the grid
KYIV: Russian drones struck infrastructure in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday, forcing emergency power blackouts for more than 45,000 customers and disrupting heat supplies, military administration head Oleksandr Vilkul said.
“Please fill up on water and charge your devices, if you have the chance. It’s going to be difficult,” Vilkul said on the Telegram messaging app.
Water utility pumping stations switched to generators and water remained in the system, but there could be pressure problems.
The full scale of the attack was not immediately known. There was no comment from Russia about the strike.
Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine’s power plants, substations and transmission lines with missiles and drones, seeking to knock out electricity and heating and hinder industry during the nearly four-year war.
Kyiv says the campaign has forced rolling outages and emergency cuts to cities across the country, as repair crews work under fire and Ukraine relies on air defenses and electricity imports to stabilize the grid.
Kryvyi Rih, a steel-and-mining hub in the Dnipropetrovsk region and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown, has been hit repeatedly, with strikes killing civilians and damaging homes and industry.
The city sits close enough to southern front lines to be within strike range, while its factories, logistics links and workforce make it economically important and a key rear-area center supporting Ukraine’s war effort.
