Canary Islands Volcano Enters ‘New Explosive Phase’, Suspending All Flights

The volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma entered a new explosive phase as an eruption intensified Friday into Saturday, according to Reuters. 

The Cumbre Vieja volcano first began erupting last Sunday, so about a week ago, spewing thousands of tons of lava, destroyed hundreds of homes, and displaced more than 6,000 people. 

But while the news cycle for the volcano simmered down by mid last week – it appears to have regained attention due to La Palma officials warning: 

“Volcanic surveillance measurements carried out since the beginning of the eruption recorded the highest-energy activity so far during Friday afternoon.” 

A video shared on Twitter shows the volcano unleashing a massive shockwave. 

Power of the nature
La Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary, Spain. #moj_podsetnik pic.twitter.com/Bs0bWVQZqc

— Hordearii (@Hordearii_72) September 25, 2021

As a result of the smoke and ash, Spanish airport operator Aena announced that the island’s airport suspended all flights on Saturday. 

“La Palma airport is inoperative due to ash accumulation. Cleaning tasks have started, but the situation may change at any time,” it tweeted.

Spanish carrier Binter said, “it is not yet possible to say when we can resume flights.” 

No casualties have been reported so far, but building structures’ damage is expected to be nearly half a billion dollars and climbing. 

The latest round of heightening activity from Cumbre Vieja has sparked concerns from government officials, such as the committee spokesperson for the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan (Pevolca) and director of the National Geographic Institute (IGN) in the Canary Islands, Maria Jose Blanco, who warned a partial or total collapse of the volcanic cone is possible, according to The Canary News. 

There’s no telling how long the eruption could last, but some volcanologists have said anywhere between a few weeks to a couple of months.