A new eruptive ‘mouth’ has opened 400 metres north of the main one in the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma this morning, creating a new path through which lava is flowing, placing new areas of the island in danger of being consumed by the new flows.
This has been confirmed this lunchtime (Friday) by Manuel Nogales, a delegate of the CSIC, who said during an interview with Radio Televisión Canaria (RTVC) that "this is not good news because these new lava flows are taking a different path down the slopes than the previous ones, and are on course to affect more buildings, roads, and infrastructure on the island.”
In the last few hours, two new lava flows have formed that are heading west, according to the IGME. Currently, these streams are advancing through two ravines and the question is whether they will converge with the main lava stream or not.
The technical director of Pevolca, Miguel Ángel Morcuende, explained that at around 10am this morning, the lava crossed the LP-212 highway and it continues to move towards lower levels. Scientists are already monitoring this new flow and are close to having a mathematical model of the probability of its course.
In addition, he pointed at that sulphur dioxide emissions are increasing but, at the moment, they do not pose a health risk to the public.
