The La Soufrière volcano, located on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent, erupted this Friday and surprised thousands of people who had to leave the area.
A day earlier, the Government ordered the
mandatory evacuation of about 16,000 people
who live in the red zone near the volcano in the northern region of the island.
Emergency officials said the ash plume rose about 32,000 feet (about 10 kilometers) - the height at which commercial airplanes typically fly - and that the ash was heading east into the Atlantic Ocean.
There were no immediate reports of casualties
from the eruption that occurred four days after the 42nd anniversary of the last large eruption.
Strong ash falls were also recorded in communities near the volcano, said Erouscilla Joseph, director of the Seismic Center at the University of the West Indies.
"There could be more eruptions," he
told The Associated Press news agency in a telephone interview.
It is impossible to predict whether they could be higher or lower than the first, he added.
The volcano last erupted on April 13, 1979. In an earlier one in 1902, some 1,600 people died.
The La Soufrière volcano, in Saint Vicent and the Grenadines.
CARICOM / EFE
Evacuations
In the coastal town of Barrouallie, about 9 miles (14 kilometers) from the volcano, evacuees scrambled to shelters carrying backpacks, duffel bags and shopping bags full of personal items after the blast.
Some prepared to stay there,
while others hoped to embark on cruise ships or go to nearby islands that have offered help.
Others were still waiting for transport to a shelter, including a family who stood for at least an hour on the side of a road in the sun with their children and suitcases while they waited for someone to take them.
About 2,000 people remain in the 20 shelters the government has opened, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said at a news conference.
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"We have had setbacks here and there ... but overall we are progressing
quite well,
" Gonsalves said.
She later wiped away her tears and apologized for crying while thanking the people and other governments of the region for opening their homes and countries to the people of Saint Vincent.
Gonsalves assured that, depending on the damage caused by the explosion, it could take up to four months for things to return to normal.
Due to the pandemic, local health authorities have indicated that evacuees should be vaccinated in case of being transferred on cruise ships to other countries.
Two Royal Caribbean cruises arrived on Friday and a third in the next few days, as well as two Carnival cruises, Gonsalves added.
The islands that have said they will accept the evacuees are Saint Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and Antigua.
Scientists alerted the government to a possible eruption after observing a type of
seismic activity
at 3:00 am Thursday that indicated that "magma was moving near the surface," Joseph said.
Seventeen of the
19 living volcanoes in the eastern Caribbean are found on 11 islands
, with the remaining two underwater near the island of Grenada, including one called Kick 'Em Jenny that has been active in recent years.
Gonsalves urged the population to maintain calm and order.
"I don't want them to panic," he
said.
"That is the worst thing to do," he added.
With information from AP.
