The new lava flows that are emitting from the Cumbre Vieja volcano are now advancing at 100 metres per hour down the slopes on top of existing lava laid in the last week. This has enabled them to move faster as there are no valleys to fill in or buildings to destroy, until, as they have now, they reached the end of the existing flow and have started a new wave of destruction.
This afternoon it has completely demolished one of the landmarks of the municipality of El Paso, the bell tower of the church of San Pío X in Todoque, which has been caught on film as you can see below.
The Todoque neighbourhood, home to 1,200 people, was one of the first affected by the volcanic eruption as a tongue of lava passed through it and destroyed a large part of the town. Among the buildings under threat has been the church, so earlier in the week the parish priest removed all paintings and valuables from the interior, moving them to a safe place just in case.
This afternoon their worst fears came true as the lava has once again made an aggressive appearance in the neighbourhood. The president of the Cabildo de La Palma, Mariano Hernández Zapata has expressed "enormous pride" for the unity of the Palmeros and for the flood of affection they have received this week.
He added that: “The fissure eruption continues to show a strombolian mechanism, currently concentrating its activity in the volcanic cone. The eruptive process continues to show episodes of increased explosive activity. There are two active lava flows; that of the north maintains its high fluidity and continues to flow mainly on the previous flows”.
