White turns black: volcanic ash darkens salt flats on Spain's La Palma

LA PALMA, Spain: A blanket of volcanic ash has turned Andres Hernandez's pristine white salt flats black, ruining about a third of his annual production in the past two weeks since the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on the Spanish island of La Palma.

The Hernandez family is used to living under the threat of volcanoes - in La Palma's last eruption 50 years ago, lava stopped just 200 metres short of his family's saltworks, putting them out of business for two years.

Now, Hernandez, a third-generation salt flat owner, is resolved to cleaning up and carrying on making salt.