La Palma’s volcanic eruption still strong, three weeks on

At least four more buildings have been destroyed by the molten lava from the La Palma eruption

More than 150 hectares of farmland have now been covered by the lava, which has continued to erupt three weeks in.

There have been 37 seismic movements to date – with the largest measuring a magnitude-4.1 on the Richter scale. 

From Monday, members of the Spanish Navy will help clean volcanic ash that covers large parts of the island, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said.

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

The volcano first erupted on September 19 destroying over 800 buildings and forcing more than 6,000 people to evacuate. 

La Palma’s airport has also been closed because of ash levels in the sky.