Officials expressed concern about the lives of those who have refused to evacuate.
Experts called it a “huge explosion” that generated pyroclastic flows down the volcano’s south and south-west flanks.
“It’s destroying everything in its path,” Erouscilla Joseph, director of the University of the West Indies’ Seismic Research Centre, told the Associated Press.
Ash rising into the air on Friday as La Soufriere volcano erupted on the eastern Caribbean island of St Vincent (Orvil Samuel/AP)
“Anybody who would have not heeded the evacuation, they need to get out immediately.”
There were no immediate reports of injuries or death, but government officials were scrambling to respond to the latest eruption, which was even bigger than the first eruption that occurred on Friday morning.
Huge explosion rocks St Vincent as volcano keeps erupting pressherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves sitting with senior citizens who had to evacuate their homes at the Thomas Saunders Secondary School in Kingstown, which has been turned into an emergency shelter. PHOTO COURTESY SEARCHLIGHT NEWSPAPER, ST VINCENT -
PYROCLASTIC flows, described by volcanologist Dr Richard Robertson as moving masses of destruction, contained in volcanic ash, are just one of the threats facing people who ignored the mandatory evacuation order.
It will not only pose a danger to them but also rescue teams who have braved the elements to remove them.
St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on Sunday said no fatalities attributed to the eruptions have been recorded.
Pyroclastic flows, which are extremely fast “moving masses of destruction” containing hot gas, ash and rocks, and which kill and destroy everything in their path, even out into the sea, have begun to occur during the explosions from La Soufriere. The lead scientist on the ground, volcanologist/geologist Professor Richard Robertson gave an update on the ongoing explosive phase of the eruption while on NBC radio this morning, April 11. Robertson …
Press release 12 April 2021
BRIDGETOWN / PANAMA CITY, 11 April 2021 – At least 16,000 people have been evacuated due to the eruption of the La Soufriere Volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines last Friday. UNICEF and its partners are on the ground providing humanitarian assistance to approximately 4,800 children in need, many of whom are now in shelters. A total of 62 shelters are now hosting some 3,200 people.
Within 24 hours of the eruption, UNICEF provided an estimated 9,000 people, including children, with access to safe water and hygiene services in the evacuation shelters. These critical supplies included collapsible water bladders, collapsible water containers, purification tablets, and dignity kits.