La Soufriere volcano erupted
Residents of St Vincent were asked to leave their homes yesterday Thursday 8th April 2021 when the volcanic activity progressed to red alert, which meant that eruption was imminent. At about 8:41 am today Friday 9th April 2021 an explosive eruption began from the La Soufriere volcano.
Currently, thick layers of smoke have been filling the air and magma has begun spewing down the volcano. Thick layers of ash have been falling down the flanks of the volcano and surrounding communities including Chateaubelair and Petite Bordel according to the UWI Seismic Research Centre.
On Thursday, the government said that the danger centres on the La Soufriere volcano in the island's northern region. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines said people living in so-called red zones in the northwest and northeast of the island needed to leave immediately as the volcano pumped out more smoke and steam.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a population of just over 100,000, have not seen volcanic activity since 1979. An eruption by La Soufriere in 1902 killed more than 1,000 people. Local media have in recent days also reported increased activity from Mount Pelee on the island of Martinique, which lies to the north of St. Vincent beyond St. Lucia.
The researchers recorded “six separate bands of volcanic tremor” on Thursday alone, noting that such activity usually means magma is nearing the surface of the crater. The volcano also spewed some ash, further fuelling reports that La Soufriereis on the verge of an explosion. “The effusive eruption is continuing, and an explosive phase of the eruption may begin with minimal warning,” the centre noted. While seismologists could not provide a clear timeline of when the volcano might burst, UWI-SRC Geologist and Scientific Team Lead Prof. Richard Robertson warned that it would not come as a surprise if the volcano explodes “within the next 24-48 hours.
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