The activity of the volcano “continues to be intense” and a new crater was discovered on Saturday, the government of the Canary Islands and IGN said in a joint statement.
“It does not seem to be over yet, because of the millions of cubic meters of lava that the volcano rejects,” Canary Islands President Ángel Víctor Torres said at a press conference on Sunday.
In a positive sign, the technical director of the Canary Islands Emergency Response Committee, Miguel Ángel Morcuende, said on Saturday that air quality had improved enough to lift local home support measures.
To ensure the water supply to the south of the island, new desalination plants will replace an irrigation link broken by the volcano, Torres said.
“We recognize the angst, but it teaches us a lesson. Because when you approach someone who has lost everything, they’re always ready to face the situation. They don’t give up,” Torres said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged more than $ 238 million (206 million euros) in aid to the island.
“Next Tuesday, the cabinet will approve a series of very powerful measures concerning the reconstruction of infrastructure, responding to the problem of water supply, but also of employment, agriculture, the tourism sector and tax benefits”, Sanchez said on Sunday.
