Coastal towns locked down in La Palma as lava crashes into ocean

A flow of lava is observed near la Laguna mountain on the Canary island of La Palma, Spain November 22, 2021 in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. Involcan/via REUTERS

MADRID (Reuters) - Authorities on the Spanish island of La Palma ordered residents of three coastal towns to stay indoors on Monday after a new stream of lava crashed into the ocean, sending thick clouds of potentially toxic gases high into the sky.

A third tongue of lava from the Cumbre Vieja volcano, which has been erupting for two months, reached the water around midday (12:00 GMT) a few kilometres north of where two previous flows hit the sea.