The ongoing eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma has forced the shutdown of the airport, according to reports.
Islanders fleeing hot lava have instead had to line up for ferries off the island, one of the Canaries, Reuters reported.
“I am going to Barcelona. But because we can’t fly we are taking the ferry to Los Cristianos [on Tenerife] and from there we will go to the airport and fly to Barcelona,” Carlos Garcia, 47, told the newswire.
Back at the airport, workers swept ash off the runways. Spanish airline Aena warned that the situation could change at any time.
No fatalities or injuries have yet been reported, but as much as 15 percent of the island’s critical banana crop is at risk, the newswire reported.
