MADRID, Jan 2 — The first death from a months-long volcanic eruption on Spain’s La Palma island in 2021 has been confirmed after a court ruled today that a man died from inhaling toxic gases from the volcano.
Initial reports said the man likely climbed on the roof of his home to clear volcanic ash when the roof collapsed but officials said the cause of death could only be determined when autopsy results were in. The volcano rumbled for 85 days between September and December 2021, ejecting ash and rivers of lava that swallowed up more than 1,000 homes in La Palma, part of the Canary Islands located off western Africa.
Over 7,000 of the tiny island’s roughly 83,000 inhabitants were evacuated, with many given just a few minutes to pack a handful of belongings as the red-hot lava neared.