The fall of the Todoque bell tower, symbol of the ongoing devastation of the La Palma volcano

It was one week after the eruption of the volcano Old Summit on La Palma when the bell tower of the Todoque church, a small neighborhood in the municipality of Los Llanos de Aridane, collapsed after the impact of the lava. The eruption has put the island in a state of alert and permanent desolation that continues eight days later.

The lava quickly entered the neighborhood in the early afternoon of this Sunday after a few days of stoppage. The new contributions of the volcano caused its advance towards the coast to be reactivated, taking away dozens of houses of Todoque, the church, one of the symbols of The Plains of Aridane, and also affecting the health center of the Canarian town.

“Even if he takes our symbols, all together we are going to be stronger than the volcano,” said the president of the Cabildo de La Palma, Mariano Hernandez Zapata, after the collapse of the church. “The lava has made its appearance in an aggressive manner, ending some of the island’s hallmarks,” lamented the La Palma leader during the daily press conference in which the island’s authorities take stock of the situation.

The disappearance of the Todoque church symbolizes the nightmare that La Palma has been experiencing since September 19. The lava that comes out of the Cumbre Vieja has covered since the eruption began more than 212 hectares -An area equivalent to approximately 300 soccer fields—, destroying with his step at least 460 buildings, in addition to 17.5 kilometers of roads, according to data from the European Union’s Copernicus program satellite. Lava buries localities like Todoque under lava volumes of up to 12 meters and temperatures of 1,300 degrees centigrade.

On Saturday, the cone of the volcano broke, releasing a new lava flow that joins the previous ones that descend towards the coast. Their union, however, not only fueled the lava flow but accelerated its pace. The current that entered Todoque reached 100 meters / hour.

“The 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; the northern one maintains its high fluidity and continues to flow mainly over previous casts “, concluded the Scientific Committee of the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan (PEVOLCA) in the daily balance of this Sunday.

A 2.5 km exclusion radius around emission centers is recommended to minimize the risk of pyroclastic impact and exposure to gases. It is also recommended not to approach the lava due to the risk of being exposed to the gases emitted, possible landslides and high temperatures. It is possible that some violent detonations could break the glass of the windows, up to a radius of 5 km from the cone, so it is recommended to stay away from them.

Although Todoque was hit hard, this Sunday he also left positive news within the seriousness of the situation. Some 160 residents of the neighborhoods of Tajuya, Tacande de Abajo and Tacande de Arriba, in the municipality of El Paso, received the green light from PEVOLCA to return to their homes after being evacuated on Friday afternoon.

Indicators such as seismic signals and deformations are at more stable and lower levels, in general, than the previous days, reported the director of the National Geographic Institute in the Canary Islands (IGN), Maria Jose Blanco, signaling a stabilization that led to the decision to return the evacuees on Friday to their homes.

No victim

The material damage is incalculable so far, but the human damage after more than a week since the eruption is nil. The outbreak of the Cumbre Vieja has not caused injuries or deaths. The lava has swallowed the homes of hundreds of people, an inevitable tragedy due to the power of nature, but the civil protection device, the timely decisions and evacuations, have saved the residents of La Palma.

A total of 743 security personnel and emergencies have been deployed on the island to carry out the civil protection operation, according to data from the Government of the Canary Islands.

The operation also has a total of 138 vehicles, an Advanced Command Post of the General Directorate of Security and Emergencies of the Government of the Canary Islands from where the actions are coordinated, and 18 aircraft of the Government, councils and the State.

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