Spanish island expanding as lava flows into sea – scientists

Lava from the volcano reaches the sea on the island of La Palma (Saul Santos/AP)

The surface of Spain’s La Palma island is continuing to expand as lava from a volcano flows into the Atlantic Ocean and hardens as it comes into contact with water, scientists have said.

Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation programme, said on Thursday that its satellite imagery showed a D-shaped tongue of molten rock building up on the island’s western shore measured 338 hectares (835 acres) by the end of Wednesday.