Another tremor hits Spanish island El Hierro

A new earthquake of 4.4 magnitude on the Richter scale shook the Spanish island of El Hierro late on Friday night, the latest of a series of tremors felt on the most westerly of the Canary Islands since seismic activity began active in July. The tremor caused 11 houses in the village of Las Puntas to be evacuated as a result of damage. The local government has again decided to close the road tunnel of Los Roquillos which connects both sides of the island to avoid any possible danger to vehicles. The tremor, which had its epicentre off the coast of the island and 22 km below the surface, is the second 4.4 magnitude quake in a week that has also witnessed shocks of 3.9 and 4.0. Meanwhile the island suffered 19 separate tremors in just nine hours on Thursday. The underwater volcano off the south coast of El Hierro began its second eruption in less than a month on Monday and that eruption has been accompanied by an increase in seismic activity, which has seen tremors of increasing strength registered around the island. The island was placed on a state of 'pre-alert' early on Friday due to the increased seismic activity. Civil protection and emergency units are ready to act, while the Spanish Interior Ministry is ready to take necessary measures if needed. A military unit has already been dispatched to the area with enough tents to provide accommodation for up to 2,000 people, while merchant marine and civil aviation are also standing by in case a possible evacuation of the island's 10,000 inhabitants.