A volcano on the Caribbean island of St Vincent has begun erupting as thousands of people flee for their lives.
Around 16,000 residents in ‘red-zone’ areas were warned to evacuate after La Soufriere started spewing steam and smoke.
St Vincent’s National Emergency Management Organisation, NEMO, warned of a ‘substantial prospect of disaster’ due to an ‘imminent’ eruption.
Now the volcano has ‘moved into an explosive state’ with plumes up to five miles high, NEMO posted on Twitter this afternoon.
Residents were urged to leave the red zone immediately with ash fall recorded as far as the island’s Argyle International Airport, said to be around 48 miles away.
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The eruption follows an increase in seismic activity in the area.
But efforts to evacuate residents could be hampered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said people must be vaccinated if they go aboard a cruise ship – or are granted temporary refuge on nearby islands.
Four out of a total of five cruise ships are due to arrive on the island today.
‘There is now in the country an evacuation order,’ the Prime Minister said.
‘This is an emergency situation, and everybody understands that,’ he added.
Neighbouring islands St Lucia, Barbados, Antigua and Grenada said they are willing to accept evacuees.
Mr Gonsalves said he is in talks with other Caribbean governments about accepting ID cards if individuals do not have a passport.
The volcano last erupted in 1979, with an earlier blast killing 1,600 people in 1902.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibWh0dHBzOi8vbWV0cm8uY28udWsvMjAyMS8wNC8wOS9zdC12aW5jZW50LXZvbGNhbm8tbGEtc291ZnJpZXJlLWVydXB0cy1hcy1jYXJpYmJlYW4taXNsYW5kLWV2YWN1YXRlZC0xNDM4NDMyNi_SAXFodHRwczovL21ldHJvLmNvLnVrLzIwMjEvMDQvMDkvc3QtdmluY2VudC12b2xjYW5vLWxhLXNvdWZyaWVyZS1lcnVwdHMtYXMtY2FyaWJiZWFuLWlzbGFuZC1ldmFjdWF0ZWQtMTQzODQzMjYvYW1wLw?oc=5
2021-04-09 13:03:00Z
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