"Volcano off African coast could unleash killer wave on New York"

A tsunami triggered by a volcanic eruption on an island off the coast of Africa could result in mountainous waves up to 75 feet high crashing into New York and other East Coast cities, scientists are warning.

A 12-mile-wide chunk of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Islands rattled loose during a previous eruption and is at risk of smashing into the Atlantic Ocean, triggering what could be one of the largest tidal waves in recorded history, researchers told Britain's Royal Institution earlier this month.

"It's not a matter of if, but when," said Prof. Bill McGuire, director of the Benfield Grieg Hazard Research Centre at University College in London.

In the deep seas, a tidal wave created by such a landslide would travel at the speed of a jetliner - up to 600 mph - meaning U.S. coastal cities would have eight to 10 hours of warning before a mountainous wall of water reared up on its shores, McGuire said.

"Once it's happened, it would be extremely difficult to evacuate all those people out in time," McGuire told the Daily News.

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