Giant blocks of lava from La Palma volcano roll down as tremors shake ground

Dozens of seismic movements occurred on the Spanish island over the weekend, with 37 movements on Saturday and another 21 recorded on Sunday.

Blocks of molten lava the size of three-storey buildings rolled down a hillside on La Palma on Sunday, while the latest series of tremors shook the ground.

Dozens of seismic movements occurred on the Spanish island over the weekend, with 37 movements on Saturday and another 21 recorded on Sunday.

It comes after Cumbre Vieja volcano began erupting around three weeks ago, on Sept. 19. Since its initial eruption it has destroyed nearly 1,186 buildings and engulfed 1,218 acres acres of land.

According to the Spanish National Geological Institute (ING), the activity over recent days has shaken the ground in the villages of Mazo, Fuencaliente and El Paso.

Buildings near the volcano on the Spanish island were swallowed by the molten rivers earlier on Saturday, with the magma destroying at least four buildings in the village of Callejon de la Gata.

Anselmo Pestana, the Spanish government representative in the Canary Islands, tweeted: “During the early morning new flows have caused more destruction of properties.

“Helplessness and pain in the face of so much damage”

The blocks of red-hot magma that flowed down the side of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on Sunday were the size of three-storey buildings, the Spanish Institute of Geology and Mining said.

With temperatures reaching 1,240 degrees Celsius, the lava flow destroyed the last few buildings that remained standing in the village of Todoque, the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute said on Twitter.

The latest onslaught of seismic activity followed a partial cone collapse near the volcano’s emission vent on Saturday, Stavros Meletlidis, a spokesman for ING told Reuters.

“The collapse of the northern flank of the Cumbre Vieja volcano has caused the release of large blocks of material and the appearance of new flows that run through areas already evacuated,” tweeted Spain’s National Security Department.

“The lava has reached the Camino de la Gata industrial estate and new buildings.”

About 6,000 people have now been evacuated from their homes on La Palma, which has about 83,000 inhabitants.

Lightning was seen near the eruption early on Saturday. A study published in 2016 by the journal Geophysical Research Letters found lightning can be produced during volcanic eruptions because the collision of ash particles creates an electrical charge.

From Monday, members of the Spanish Navy were coming in to help clear volcanic ash that covers large parts of the island, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said during a visit on Sunday.

The Mirror told of the plight of 500 residents who were forced to flee their homes three weeks ago.

Officials on the Spanish Canary Island of la Palma began evacuating 500 people and animals before huge plumes of smoke began billowing into the air.

And a river of lava poured down towards populated areas in the south of the island authorities ordered the complete evacuation of four villages, including El Paso and Los Llanos de Aridane.

Video footage then showed the looming devastation as lava edged down from five five fissures torn into the hillside.