A video shows dogs surrounded by lava on the Spanish island of La Palma that are being kept alive with the help of drones.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma—part of the Canary Island archipelago located off the coast of northwest Africa—began erupting on September 19, and since then, lava flows have caused widespread destruction.
In the process, some dogs have become trapped by lava flows in the area of Todoque, which lies to the west of the volcano, according to local authorities.
The lava is preventing an overland rescue of the dogs due to the high temperatures surrounding the flows.
On Tuesday, the Cabildo de La Palma—the governing body of the island—said in a statement that two companies had been feeding the animals for the past five days using drones to deliver them food and water.
"The Cabildo de La Palma has thanked today the collaboration of the companies Volcanic Life and Ticom Soluciones SL, for their selfless work to guarantee the welfare of the animals that are trapped in the upper area of Todoque, after being surrounded by lava," the statement said.
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La Palma's councillor of security and emergencies, Nieves Rosa Arroyo, said authorities became aware of the situation of the animals last week and subsequently commissioned the companies to help.
The companies are being given veterinary advice so that they can provide the most appropriate food and quantity of water for the situation of the dogs.
According to the statement, both companies have said that they will continue with these tasks as long as the weather and security conditions allow it. It is not yet clear if there are plans being prepared to rescue the animals.
The Cumbre Vieja eruptions have destroyed more than 1,100 buildings on the islands, as well as around 600 hectares of land. The event has also forced more than 6,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Despite the widespread destruction, no human injuries have been reported in relation to the eruptions.
Más imágenes de la erupción a las 20,40 hora canaria desde Las Manchas / More footage of the eruption at 20,40 Canarian time from Las Manchas pic.twitter.com/vd7VASS8OX
— INVOLCAN (@involcan) October 12, 2021
On Saturday, part of the volcano's cone partially collapsed, resulting in new lava streams pouring down the slopes of the mountain towards an industrial zone on the island, Euronews reported. Since the partial collapse, there has been a rise in lava flows and explosive activity at the volcano.
The Volcanic Institute of the Canaries (Involcan) has posted several videos of the eruptions in the past few days showing some of this recent activity (see above).
Toward the end of September, a European Space Agency satellite captured an incredible image showing lava flowing for miles out of the erupting volcano and into the sea.
