Lava flow slows on Spanish island, sparking worry it could destroy more homes

The advance of lava from a volcanic eruption in Spain's Canary Islands has slowed significantly, raising fears Thursday that it might fan out further across the land and destroy more homes instead of flowing into the sea.

A giant river of lava 600 metres wide slowed to a speed of four metres per hour after reaching a plain on Wednesday. On Monday, a day after the eruption on the island of La Palma, it was moving at 700 metres per hour.

Stavros Meletlidis, a volcanologist at Spain's National Geographic Institute, said the dynamics of any eruption are in constant flux.

"The lava is advancing very slowly because it cools in contact with the atmosphere, through friction with the ground and building materials and, above all, because its front edge is widening out," he told Radio Television Canaria.

As it slowed, the lava also grew thicker. In places, it rose up to 15 metres high, authorities said. The lava now covers 166 hectares and has swallowed up around 350 homes.

The lava's slowing pace bought time for more residents of towns in its path to grab belongings, with the Guardia Civil police force escorting them to their homes in Todoque, close to the coast, on Thursday morning.

The Guardia Civil said seismic activity in the area, which surged before the eruption and has remained strong, has stabilized.