Three people have been hurt in La Palma after falling from roofs whilst trying to clear ash from them, one of whom is seriously injured and has had to be admitted to intensive care at La Palma general hospital due to the injuries.
According to the director of the La Palma Health Service, Kilian Sánchez, two accidents of this type were reported yesterday morning (Friday), and then a few hours later, a third more serious accident was brought to the attention of the emergency services.
Pevolca has appealed to the population not to try to clean their roofs themselves as it could be dangerous, but people are concerned that the weight of the ash could cause them to collapse, and aren’t prepared to wait for the army to do it.
Rubén Fernández, the substitute technical director of Pevolca, stressed that people should only clear it themselves from roof terraces and ‘normally’ accessible spaces wearing the correct protective clothing.
Fernández pointed out that in some areas south of the Aridane Valley, the ash is between 2 and 3 metres deep, and that in the next few days, firefighters and the Military Emergency Unit (UME), will clean areas using heavy machinery, both to improve access to the southern area and to eliminate ash accumulations.
