Spanish island braces for possible earthquakes, eruption

MADRID: The residents of Spain’s La Palma island remained on alert Sunday for a possible volcanic eruption as government authorities warned of earthquakes that could cause damage to buildings.

While government experts said that an eruption is not yet imminent, there has been an intensification of earthquakes near the surface of the island, which belongs to the Canary Islands archipelago.

A 3.2-magnitude quake was recorded Saturday, and the Scientific Committee of the Volcano Risk Prevention Plan said that stronger earthquakes "are likely to be felt and may cause damage to buildings.” The committee of scientific experts also signaled out a stretch of the Atlantic island’s southwest coast for the risk of rockfalls.