Who dies in La Palma? A complete guide to who survives and who doesn't in Netflix's disaster series

Netflix has added another series to the genre of disaster/thriller with its new title, La Palma. Premiered on December 12, 2024, it is a thrilling story about an imminent volcanic eruption that threatens global catastrophe. Furthermore, the ending of the series is packed with anticipation and action.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series.

The story follows a group of geological researchers, Marie and Haukur, and a family of four, who are faced with an ecological crisis that threatens not only their lives but spells doom for the world. Like any disaster show or movie, here too we see casualties.

Eventually, the family at the center of the story survives. However, Erik, Marie's brother, does not make it to the end, and Arnt, who is a friend of the family, meets the same fate.

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What is La Palma all about?

At the center of the Netflix miniseries is a family of four—Jennifer, Fredrik, Sara, and Tobias. They have come on a vacation to the beautiful island of La Palma. However, their vacation turns into a struggle for survival when volcanic activity triggers a massive landslide, leading to a devastating tsunami wreaking havoc in this otherwise peaceful paradise.

Parallel to this runs the story of two geological researchers, Marie and Haukur, who discover that there is an inevitable volcanic eruption looming ahead that could cause devastation not only on the island but across continents. They must convince their boss, Álvaro, to take immediate action before it's too late.

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The deaths at the end of La Palma explained

Although the central family in the series, including Sara and Fredrik, along with their kids Jennifer and Tobias, all survive the tsunami, some of the other main characters of La Palma die. This includes Erik, Marie’s brother. Both Marie and Erik are significant characters in the series.

Marie is one of the researchers who try to warn authorities about an imminent disaster but her words are not taken seriously. Both siblings have a tragic history with tsunamis, as their parents were killed by one, and sadly Erik meets an end that is also tangentially tied to the tsunami.

The imminent catastrophe created panic in the minds of people, especially since so many were trapped on the island while it was clearly heading toward complete destruction. People became desperate to find a way out of the island, and so when Erik, Marie, and Fredrik get their hands on a boat, someone pulls out a gun and threatens them to give it up.

Erik tries to disarm the man, and in a freak accident, it results in his death.

Another significant character who dies in La Palma is Arnt, who acts as a friend to the main family throughout the series. He babysits Tobias when Fredrik and Jennifer are frantic in their search for Sara, who they thought died in the plane crash.

With every step, Arnt tries his best to keep the family safe while also getting himself to safety. But in the end, he does not make it. Arnt dies along with some other passengers on the plane that failed to depart.

Along with these two major deaths, several minor characters (mostly unnamed) also died in the disaster series.

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Created by Martin Sundland, Lars Gudmestad, and Harald Rosenløw Eeg, La Palma is directed by Kasper Barfoed and co-written by Gudmestad and Rosenløw Eeg. The series stars Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, and Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, among others, and is available to stream on Netflix.