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Date Published: 15/11/2021

ARCHIVED - La Palma volcano claims its first victim

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Family sources have confirmed that the victim’s body was found in his home in the exclusion zone

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - La Palma volcano claims its first victim

Julio A.C., a 72-year-old man, has been the first person to die on the Canary Island of La Palma since the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on September 19. The victim was found dead in his home on Calle Jose Antonio Jimenez in the neighbourhood of Las Manchas, very close to the source of the original eruption. A post mortem will be carried out to establish whether the man died from inhaling toxic gases from the volcano, or if his death was simply due to natural causes.

According to official sources, Julio A.C. was evacuated from his home shortly after the eruption and his locality has remained an exclusion zone; however, he and several others were escorted to their properties by officials to collect belongings and clear ash deposits from their roofs. For some reason, the victim stayed behind, possibly to also clear the roof of a house belonging to his deceased sister.

It was initially believed that the roof may have collapsed, causing Julio A.C.’s death, but neighbours and family members have rejected this explanation, claiming that the tops of both properties were relatively clear of debris. Where his home is located, just two kilometres from the eruption site, the accumulation of ash has reached 20 metres high in some areas, according to satellite data from Copernicus.

At this point, the mayor of El Paso, Sergio Rodríguez, has indicated that “it is not yet clear what has happened and all the hypotheses are open.” If the post mortem shows that the man did indeed succumb to gas poisoning, his will be the first life the Cumbre Vieja volcano has claimed.

Julio A.C.’s death has hit the close-knit community hard, and he is fondly remembered by neighbours and friends as “a tireless worker, a very loyal guy.” He worked for almost 30 years with the Ruiz Romero company laying asphalt on the roads of the community.

Image: Involcan

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