The Piton de la Fournaise volcano which is located on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean erupted yet again on Monday. This is an unprecedented fourth eruption this year. This volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
The previous eruption this year was on 31st July. During this period Reunion Island was in the news because some beach cleaners found plane debris which was believed to be the debris of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
The eruption occurred late evening on Monday after there was increased seismic activity throughout the day. It was visible from Piton de Bert which is located around 2 kms from the volcano. This place is not reachable by car. Local hikers as well as tourists who were excited to see the volcano eruption, were seen venturing out in near freezing temperatures with their headlamps, hiking shoes and cameras.
The terrain of the island has attracted many adventure tourists from across the globe in recent years. There are well marked bike trails for hundreds of kms and this zone was declared a UNESCO world heritage site few years ago.
Air traffic has been disrupted in the region as flights and helicopters are not permitted to fly over the region. People have been permitted to see the lava flows from a safe distance.
Image credit: quizzclub.com
