Sinkhole Shuts Down The Canaries

Sinkholes, like this one in La Palma, can be dangerous. Credit: WikimediaCommons

The local police of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria have closed a street in the middle of town due to a sink hole that has appeared out of nowhere.

A diversion has been set in place on Calle Nestor de la Torre sending buses one way and cars the other.

The municipal buses will be sent down the streets of Mesa and Lopezy whilst cars and other traffic will have to pass through Olef Palmehacia and Paseo del Chil. The sink hole has rendered the entire area between Plaza de España and Galicia Street impassable and police have advised pedestrians to avoid the area entirely.

Gran Canaria has had a long history of landslides and other geological phenomena due to the volcanic cinder cones and lava that mantle much of the island. When disturbed arift can cause a large section of volcanic bedrock to collapse as it is not supported by surrounding canyons or mountains.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano which resides on the Las Palmas island is the most active volcano in the Canaries. It has been causing periodic volcanic rifts ever since people started recording it over 500 years ago.

Author badge placeholder
Written by

Euro Weekly News Media

Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews

Comments