La Palma volcano blows open new vent, threatens to collapse, DW News

Eruptions from a volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma have intensified, with a new vent opening up, releasing more lava. More than 400 homes have been destroyed so far. Ash and dust from the new fissure have forced the island s authorities to ground air travel until further notice. The fiery cauldron of Cumbre Vieja is spewing livid magma and clouds of ash. A week of eruptions has created a cone more than one hundred meters high, which is now beginning to collapse under its own weight, unleashing a river of lava. Residents of La Palma can only watch and wonder what will come next. A new vent opened over the weekend. It s feared more homes may be swallowed by lava. Already hundreds of properties have been destroyed. Those evacuated days ago still cannot return to retrieve belongings. The island s banana plantations are also under threat. Airport workers clear a blanket of ash from the runway, though all flights have been suspended. Tourists are evacuating by sea, abandon