The island is on red alert, which means an eruption is “imminent now,” NEMO said.
Evacuation orders are in effect in about a dozen districts in St. Louis. Vincent, affecting about 6,000-7,000 people, a spokesman for the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Center or UWI-SRC told CNN.
St. Vincent is the largest island in the Caribbean chain of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Scientists at the Belmont Observatory in St. Vincent observed a volcanic quake on the island at about 3 a.m. local time, according to UWI-SRC.
The first tremor band was followed by four more, at 13:00 at the latest. This type of seismic signal is usually associated with the movement of magma and fluids close to the surface, according to UWI-SRC.
Clouds of steam could also be seen from the observatory during periods of tremors.
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley spoke with Gonsalves and provided assistance, according to the Ministry of National Security for Trinidad and Tobago.
Venezuela will send humanitarian supplies and risk experts, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on his Twitter account.