MADRID — The first dying from a months-long volcanic eruption on Spain’s La Palma island in 2021 has been confirmed after a courtroom dominated Monday {that a} man died from inhaling poisonous gases from the volcano.
The physique of a 72-year-old man was present in November 2021 within the municipality of El Paso in an exclusion zone, an space that was off limits to the general public with out categorical permission as a result of eruption.
Initial experiences stated the person possible climbed on the roof of his residence to clear volcanic ash when the roof collapsed however officers stated the reason for dying might solely be decided when post-mortem outcomes have been in.
A courtroom within the Canary Islands stated Monday the post-mortem confirmed the person “died after inhaling toxic gases, which certifies that the disaster did claim a human life.”
The volcano rumbled for 85 days between September and December 2021, ejecting ash and rivers of lava that swallowed up greater than 1,000 properties in La Palma, a part of the Canary Islands situated off western Africa.
It additionally destroyed faculties, church buildings and highways and suffocated the plush banana plantations that drive the island’s economic system, however till now no fatality was instantly tied to the eruption.
Over 7,000 of the tiny island’s roughly 83,000 inhabitants have been evacuated, with many given only a few minutes to pack a handful of belongings because the red-hot lava neared.
The volcano didn’t have a reputation earlier than it erupted though it was popularly referred to as Cumbre Vieja after the identify of the encompassing nationwide park.
Last yr residents of the island voted to name it Tajogaite—the identify of the world within the historical Guanche language. — Agence France-Presse
