La Palma volcano lava falls into the sea and residents are asked to confine themselves to protect themselves from toxic gases

Madrid (CNN) – Authorities in Spain’s Canary Islands told residents on the west coast of La Palma on Wednesday to seal doors and windows with duct tape and wet towels to protect themselves from toxic gases spewed by the lava from the Cumbre Vieja volcano as it reaches the sea. .

The lava that has flowed from the volcano for 10 days fell off a cliff into the sea in the area of ​​Playa Nueva, near the town of Tazacorte, confirmed the Institute of Volcanology of the Canary Islands through Twitter.

As dawn broke, red-hot lava rose above the Atlantic Ocean’s waterline, sending clouds of steam and toxic gases into the sky. Clouds of smoke rose from the volcano and molten rocks as it flowed down the western flank of Cumbre Vieja.

“All the people in a radius of 2 km have been evacuated” and a larger area is blocked, the mayor of Tazacorte, Juan Miguel Rodríguez Acosta, told the TV3 channel, adding that no further evacuations had been needed for the time being. the cloud was moving to the east.

He said that all the roads to the southern part of the islands had been cut by lava.

Spanish emergency officials told island residents to stay home. “The contact of the lava with the sea can generate gases that are harmful to health. If you are in the confined area of ​​Tazacorte, the safest place is inside your house,” said the Canary Islands emergency services through Twitter early in the morning. Wednesday.

The authorities had previously established an exclusion zone at sea and on land, to protect people from the toxic gases and explosions that would occur once the lava came into contact with seawater. No injuries have been reported.

The emergency services also told people to protect their mouth and nose with a damp cloth.

Since the eruption began on September 19, lava has engulfed nearly 600 houses and banana plantations on La Palma, Tenerife’s neighbor in the Canary Islands off the North African coast.

Thousands of people were evacuated and three coastal villages were closed on Monday in anticipation of the lava reaching the sea.

Spain classified La Palma as a disaster area on Tuesday, a move that will generate financial support for the island.