SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) An explosive eruption rocked La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent on Friday after the government ordered thousands to evacuate their homes nearby.
Experts said the first explosion shot an ash column 32,000 feet (10 kilometers) into the sky and that the majority of the ash was headed northeast into the Atlantic Ocean. Lightning crackled through the towering column of smoke and ash late Friday.
Heavy ashfall was reported in communities around the volcano and beyond, with authorities saying some evacuations were limited by poor visibility.
Ash rises into the air as La Soufriere volcano erupts on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent, seen from Chateaubelair, Friday, April 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Orvil Samuel)
URL copied Image Source : AP
Ash rises into the air as La Soufriere volcano erupts on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent, seen from Chateaubelair
An explosive eruption rocked La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent on Friday after the government ordered thousands to evacuate their homes nearby. Experts said the first explosion shot an ash column 32,000 feet (10 kilometers) into the sky and that the majority of the ash was headed northeast into the Atlantic Ocean. Lightning crackled through the towering column of smoke and ash late Friday.
Heavy ashfall was reported in communities around the volcano and beyond, with authorities saying some evacuations were limited by poor visibility.
Volcano Spews Ash, Hot Gravel On Caribbean Island Of St Vincent. Video Volcano Spews Ash, Hot Gravel On Caribbean Island Of St Vincent. Video The initial blast from La Soufriere, the highest peak in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sent plumes of hot ash and smoke 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) into the air Friday morning, the local emergency management agency said.
Ash and smoke billow as the La Soufriere volcano erupts in Caribbean island of St. Vincent.
St. John s, Antigua and Barbuda:
Ash and hot gravel rained down Friday on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent, after powerful eruptions from a volcano that had been dormant for decades sent thousands of panicked locals fleeing to safety.
Article by
An ash plume from an explosive eruption of La Soufriere on Friday afternoon as seen from a residential area just outside Kingstown to the south of the island. (Searchlight Newspaper) Social Share
Kingstown – Residents of the southern half of St Vincent and those who have evacuated out of the danger zones are safe and expect to mainly be affected by ash falls from the erupting La Soufriere Volcano. However, those who remain close to the volcano are endangering their lives.
Lead scientist monitoring the volcano, Professor Richard Robertson of the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) gave this assurance today, while addressing a press conference, shortly after explosive eruptions began at La Soufriere.
Caribbean News Global
April 9, 2021
By The UWI Seismic Research Centre
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad On April 9, at 8:41 am, an eruption column (cloud of ash) began rising above the La Soufrière volcano located in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This signalled that the volcano moved to an explosive phase following three months of effusive eruption, magma extrusion and more recently, tremor and volcano-tectonic (VT) seismic activity.
Leading up to this morning’s eruption, a scientific team at The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) has been stationed on the island since December 2020 when activity was first detected. On April 8, the team recorded seven bands of tremor at two and a half hour intervals. A small volcano-tectonic swarm was also detected. Elevated periods of steam and gas venting coincided with the tremor.