Inhabitants of St Vincent are asked to evacuate the island following signs that La Soufrière could erupt again
The Prime Minister of the Carribean island of St Vincent, Ralph Gonsalves, has asked residents to leave the island following a warning that more eruptions are expected to take place in the coming days.
The La Soufrière volcano on the island first erupted on 9 April, releasing huge amounts of ash into the air. This led to approximately 16,000 people being asked by the government to leave their homes, it has been reported.
Further explosions occurred over the weekend, however these were smaller in scale.
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
On Twitter, the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre said: “The volcano continues to erupt explosively and has now begun to generate pyroclastic density currents. Explosions and accompanying ashfall, of similar or larger magnitude, are likely to continue to occur over the next few days.”
This is the first time La Soufrière has erupted since 1979.
Erouscilla Joseph, director of the University of the West Indies’ seismic research centre said:
“It’s destroying everything in its path, anybody who has not heeded the evacuation needs to get out immediately.”
June Shipley, who is in St Vincent visiting relatives, told the BBC there was a common fear in the area that a larger eruption could occur.
She told the BBC: “We do hear the rumblings of the volcano and we do see the smoke.”
The UWI research centre shared images after the volcanic eruption, which showed the ash covering the ground.
Views from the Observatory this morning taken by @VincieRichie. If being shared please credit: The UWI Seismic Research Centre. #lasoufriere #svg #uwi #redalert #stilldangerous pic.twitter.com/0nH4qMS2vk
— UWISeismic Research (@uwiseismic) April 11, 2021
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves took to Twitter to thank neighbouring countries for their support, supplies and donations.
In a Tweet, he said: “Thank you Trinidad and Tobago, for your support and generosity in our time of great need. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is eternally grateful.”
#LaSoufriere #SVGEruption2021 there she go again 😩 pic.twitter.com/bBJiGrSMGH
— ♥Oni!✗ (@_ItsMeOni) April 13, 2021
He also thanked the people of Venezuela and the country’s government.
Timothy Harris, the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, pledged $1 to support the island of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
#StKittsAndNevis pledges
$1 million and more to support #StVincentAndTheGrenadines in response to the #stvincentvolcano disaster.@ComradeRalph here for you and your nation in your hour of need https://t.co/QaJZB2lY0z pic.twitter.com/pIsN8M7jwJ— Timothy Harris (@timothyharriskn) April 11, 2021
In response to the donation, Gonsalves said on Twitter: “Thank you my brother @pmharriskn and the people of St. Kitts and Nevis for the generous pledge of support during this very challenging situation facing us here in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.”
