Spanish volcano enters 'low activity' phase

A Spanish island volcano that has buried more than 500 buildings and displaced over 6,000 people since last week lessened its activity on Monday, although scientists warned that it was too early to declare that the eruption phase had finished.

The plume of ash emerging from the main vent that opened on September 19th stopped in the early hours of Monday, live footage of the Cumbre Vieja range in the La Palma island broadcasted by the public Canary Islands Television showed.

But the column of ash and volcanic material returned after a two-hour hiatus.

"There are quakes south of the volcano, we have detected seismic activity for a few hours now but the situation is calm," said David Calvo, a spokesperson of the volcanic institute of Canarias.

However he warned that technically the volcano is still in eruption.

"We must be prudent because the volcano can wake up anytime," he said.

The island's authorities advised residents in four neighbourhoods to remain indoors to avoid toxic gases that could be released as a result of lava at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,830 Fahrenheit) meeting Atlantic Ocean water at a temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius.

More than 230 hectares have been buried by the lava, which has destroyed over 18 kilometres of roads, according to Copernicus, the EU's satellite monitoring service.

The molten rock has destroyed houses, schools, churches and health centers, as well as irrigation infrastructure for the island's banana plantations, which provide nearly one-third of the island's jobs.

No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported since the volcano's eruption.

La Palma, home to about 85,000, is part of the volcanic Canary Islands, an archipelago off northwest Africa.

The island is roughly 35 kilometers (22 miles) long and 20 kilometers (12 miles) wide at its broadest point.

IMAGE: AP