Air quality stable in La Palma as lava pyramid rises from sea

A pyramid of steaming black rock emerged from the Atlantic Ocean off Spain's La Palma on Wednesday as lava from the Cumbre Vieja volcano crashed into the sea, sending up plumes of white steam. Despite fears of toxic gases, authorities said the air inland remained fine to breathe. Lava from the volcano that began erupting 10 days ago reached the ocean just before midnight on Tuesday near the town of Tazacorte and began accumulating at the foot of a cliff until a cone of debris appeared above the waterline. "It is now generating a structure that we call a 'lava delta' that is ... extending the island to the west," said Juan-Tomas Vazquez, a marine geologist aboard the Ramon Margalef research vessel, just offshore from the cliffside. Eugenio Fraile, an oceanographer in charge of the research mission, told a videoconference the steam posed no risk for now but stressed the importance of the monitoring effort. Local airline Binter said flights to and from La Palma had restarted on Wednesday after they were cancelled last week.<br/>