The island of Saint-Vincent was covered in ash this Saturday the day after a violent volcanic eruption which forced the panic evacuation of thousands of inhabitants of this territory of the Lesser Antilles.
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"
It's more and more foggy, we stay inside,
" Zen Punnett, a resident of Rillan Hill, near the Soufriere volcano, which erupted on Friday for the first time in four decades, told AFP. .
Faced with alerts from vulcanologists, an evacuation order had been issued the day before for some 20,000 people living in a "
red zone
" in the north of the island.
Almost all of them complied and took refuge with relatives or in structures made available by the government.
The eruption seen from the sky.
PLANET LABS INC.
/ REUTERS
More than 3,200 people were on Saturday morning in 62 emergency shelters, hastily set up in schools or churches, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said in a speech on local NBC radio.
Others have been sheltered in hotels or cruise ships.
"
We are facing a huge operation,
" said the official, describing the multiple challenges posed by the eruption of the volcano: thick layer of ash, water cuts, airspace closure, air pollution, risk of looting. in the evacuated areas ... "
We will get there, but a little patience,
" he told his fellow citizens: "
let's respect order and discipline!
"
First eruption since 1979
A first explosive eruption occurred on Friday morning, causing columns of smoke up to 5 miles high, followed by a smaller second.
The ash release could last "
several days or even weeks
", according to the seismic research center of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, another West Indian archipelago.
La Soufrière - not to be confused with the Grande Soufrière in Guadeloupe - had not known an eruption since 1979. The most devastating, in 1902, had claimed more than 1000 victims.
"
The extremely large ash fallout and the strong smells of sulfur are now reaching the capital,
" Kingstown in the south of the island, tweeted this Saturday the local emergency response agency, inviting people with respiratory problems to stay caulked.
Another impressive view of the volcano.
- / AFP
"
There is a
deadly
silence outside,
" Vynette Frederick, who lives in this large city, whose ground, buildings and vehicles were covered with a thin layer of whitish dust, told AFP.
Some people vaccinated against Covid-19 can be accommodated in neighboring countries, said Ralph Gonsalves, praising the regional and international aid given to his archipelago.
According to him, a ship loaded with aid is due to leave Venezuela this Saturday and arrive in Saint-Vincent on Monday.
"
In Guyana, they load a boat with a lot of supplies,
" he added.
A boat from the Barbados Islands arrived in Kingstown this Saturday morning, according to local media.