Thousands of evacuees in the Caribbean: a volcano has erupted on the island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The Soufrière volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has erupted and began releasing plumes of smoke, ash and steam, the local National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) reported on Friday.

The ash reached, according to NEMO, as far as Argyle International Airport located 19 kilometers from the volcano.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has not had any significant volcanic activity since 1979. An explosive eruption at La Soufrière killed more than a thousand people in 1902.

Through its official Twitter account, NEMO reiterated to the inhabitants of the northeast and northwest of the island that leave the area “immediately”.

The Seismic Research Unit (SRU) at the University of the East Indies (UWI) in Trinidad and Tobago, which is helping to monitor the explosive eruption, said that activity started at 08:41 local time (12:41 GMT).

“This is the culmination of the seismic activity which started yesterday April 8“, He detailed in a brief statement in which he warns that he will offer information as and when it becomes available.

The plume of smoke is visible from the south of the island of Saint Lucia, the country closest to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and which is ready to receive the evacuees.

Thousands of people in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were evacuated by ferry this morning and the arrival of several cruise ships should transfer more residents to the vicinity of the La Soufrière volcano, in danger of erupting. According to NEMO, other residents are staying in shelters.

Local media indicate that after initially announcing the arrival of two cruise ships, the number could be four. It is estimated that there are between 15,000 and 16,000 people affected.

The islands of Saint Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, Barbados and Antigua have also offered to host evacuees. During the night, the dome of the volcano was heated red and particles of fire were visible.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, local health authorities have indicated that evacuees should be vaccinated if transferred to cruise ships to other countries.

The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ordered this Thursday evacuate part of the first of the islands of this small Caribbean territory of about 110,000 inhabitants, before an imminent eruption of the La Soufrière volcano, which in recent days had seen its seismic activity increase.

The island of San Vicente, where the volcano is located, is in a state of red alarm.

(With information from EFE)

KEEP READING: