Scientists have declared a months-long volcanic eruption on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma officially over, allowing the islanders to breathe a sigh of relief.
The announcement on Saturday was made nearly 100 days after the Cumbre Vieja volcano began to spew out lava, rock and ash and upended the lives of thousands.
After bursting into action on September 19, the volcano suddenly went quiet on December 13.
But authorities on the most northwest island in Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago, wary of raising false hope, held off until Christmas Day to give the all clear and declare La Palma’s longest eruption on record over.
“What I want to say today can be said with just four words: The eruption is over,” Canary Islands regional security chief Julio Perez told a news conference on Saturday.
During the eruption, fiery molten rock flowing down towards the sea destroyed thousands of buildings, entombed banana plantations that account for nearly half the island’s economy, ruined irrigation systems, cut off roads and forced many to evacuate. But despite the widespread damage, no one was killed and no injuries were directly linked to the eruption.
Maria Jose Blanco, director of the National Geographic Institute on the Canaries, said all indicators suggested the eruption had run out of energy but she did not rule out a future reactivation.
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