Volcano La Soufrière on Caribbean’s St. Vincent erupts
A volcano named La Soufrière on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent has experienced an “explosive eruption.” Officials present there said that eruption happened hours after intensive activity at the mountain set off a mandatory evacuation of nearby residents.
On Friday morning, St. Vincent’s National Emergency Management Organization, or NEMO, announced in a tweet that La Soufrière volcano had experienced an “explosive eruption.”
Explosive eruption at La Soufriere #svgeruption #
— NEMO SVG (@NEMOSVG) April 9, 2021
Please leave the red zone immediately. La Soufriere has erupted. Ash fall recorded as far as Argyle International Airport.#lasoufriereeruption #
— NEMO SVG (@NEMOSVG) April 9, 2021
Social media videos posted by witnesses showed plumes of ash rising from the volcano.
The la Soufiere Volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is experiencing an explosive eruption at this moment @volcanodiscover @cnnbrk @CBCNews #volcano #eruption @MSN #MSNBC pic.twitter.com/RcHoLTENii
— kenville Horne (@kenvilleHorne) April 9, 2021
NEMO posted on its Facebook page that the eruption happened at 8:40 a.m. local time.
“Ash plumes of up to 8 km [5 miles] were observed,” it said. “Ashfall has been recorded at the Argyle International Airport.”
“All persons in the red volcano hazard zone are asked to evacuate immediately,” NEMO said.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is home to a population of 110,000. While most live around the capital of Kingstown, the population is spread over three dozen islands.
On Thursday afternoon, emergency management officials raised the alert level to Red after days of increased seismic activity near the volcano.
I have issued an evacuation order to all residents living in the RED ZONES on the North East and the North West of the island. All residents are asked to act accordingly with immediate effect to ensure their safety and that of their families. pic.twitter.com/AJQlCDtOPg
— Ralph Gonsalves (@ComradeRalph) April 8, 2021
The mountain also erupted in 1718, 1812, 1814, and 1902/03.
The eastern Caribbean is an area of dangerous volcanic activity. These volcanic eruptions on Montserrat have forced people to permanently abandon the island.
