A volcanic eruption shook the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent on Friday for the first time in more than 40 years – causing the evacuation of thousands of people, according to reports.
The eruption of La Soufrière volcano, which was confirmed by the Seismological Research Center at the University of the West Indies, sent ash plumes 20,000 feet into the sky, according to the local emergency management agency.
Heavy ash has spread to communities around the volcano and east into the Atlantic Ocean, said Erouscilla Joseph, the university’s director of the university’s Seismic Center.
The volcano last erupted in 1979, and a previous eruption in 1902 killed about 1,600 people.
There were no immediate reports of casualties on Friday.
“More explosions could occur,” Joseph said, adding that it is impossible to predict whether future explosions may be larger or smaller than the first.
The eruption followed mandatory evacuation orders for people living near the volcano.
Officials planned to place them aboard cruise ships, send them to nearby islands, or take them to shelters elsewhere in St. Louis. Vincent who is out of danger.
About 16,000 people living in the red zone will have to be evacuated in efforts that could be hampered by the coronavirus pandemic, Joseph said.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves told reporters that people should be vaccinated if they board a cruise ship or are given temporary refuge on another island.
He said two Royal Caribbean ships and two Carnival ships should arrive by Friday.
Islands that have said they will accept evacuations include Saint Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and Antigua.
“Not everything will go perfectly, but if we all cooperate … we will move stronger than ever,” said Gonsalves, who advised people who decide to seek shelter in St. Louis. Vincent and the Grenadines, an island chain of more than 100,000 people, get vaccinated.
Emergency workers went out to the red zone communities and provided transportation to safer locations, Joseph said.
“I know who doesn’t have the means of transportation, because all of this has already been analyzed,” she said, adding that those who board the cruise ships will remain there for an unspecified period of time.
With an imminent eruption late Thursday, the shelters filled up as a line of car lights headed for safer terrain.
John Renton, a school principal who ran a shelter, said they had many masks and other personal protective equipment, but needed more cribs.
As he spoke, he was interrupted by a phone call from a government official asking about preparations.
“We have exceeded capacity,” he said, adding that the shelter could accommodate 75 people and was already full.
Scientists alerted the government to a possible eruption after they observed seismic activity at 3 a.m. Thursday, which indicated that “magma was moving close to the surface,” Joseph said.
“Things are climbing pretty fast,” she said of volcanic activity.
The eastern Caribbean is home to other active volcanoes.
Seventeen of the region’s 19 living volcanoes are on 11 islands, with the remaining two underwater near Grenada, including one called Kick ‘Em Jenny, which has been active in recent years.
The most active volcano in the region was the Soufrière Hills in Montserrat, which has erupted continuously since 1995, killing at least 19 people in 1997.
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