Nerves On Edge On Spanish Island As Quakes, Lava Threaten

Several small earthquakes have shaken the Spanish island of La Palma off northwest Africa.

That is keeping nerves on edge as rivers of volcanic lava continue to flow toward the sea. After moving downhill across the island’s countryside since Sunday’s eruption, the lava is gradually closing in on the more densely populated coastline.

Officials said Tuesday a river of lava was bearing down on a neighborhood where more than 1,000 people live and where emergency services are preparing evacuations.

Some 6,000 people on La Palma have been evacuated so far and 183 houses damaged, government spokeswoman Isabel Rodríguez said after a Cabinet meeting in Madrid.