The devastating volcanic eruption on the island of La Palma may have a silver lining for one of Spain's poorest areas.
Scenes of solidified walls of lava up to 70 metres high and gases still seeping from the crater are attracting tourists to the island, wanting to see for themselves the aftermath of an eruption that lasted 85 days.
"The volcano has to return to this island and its residents what it took from them," says Sergio Rodriguez, mayor of El Paso, one of the most ravaged towns with areas engulfed by endless mounds of ash and fractured by jagged lava streams. "Although the volcano has stopped, it is very impressive," said German tourist Ulrike Wenen on a recent tour. "If it's okay with the people who live here, which is the most important thing, it's ideal to see it".
Teacher Esmeralda Martin, 39, had just two minutes to flee her house of 10 years, which she shared with her husband and two small children. It now lies buried under 40 metres of lava. Her parents' house and banana fields are gone too.