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Another Explosive Eruption Rocks St. Vincent, Barbados Covered in Volcanic Ash

The volcano erupted early Monday.

By

Joseph Guzman |
The  Hill
April 12, 2021

Story at a glance

St. Vincent covered in ash
  • The National Emergency Management Organization of St. Vincent and the Grenadines said the volcano erupted again Monday morning around 4:15 a.m. local time.
  • The volcano’s dome collapsed, and the eruption sent pyroclastic flows down the volcano’s south and southwest flanks, according to The Associated Press.
  • There have been no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.

The La Soufrière volcano continues to rock the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent as a large explosive eruption Monday sent a large amount of ash and hot gas into the air.

The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) of St. Vincent and the Grenadines said the volcano erupted again Monday morning around 4:15 a.m. local time

The volcano’s dome collapsed, and the eruption sent pyroclastic flows — moving mixtures of ash, rock fragments and gas — down the volcano’s south and southwest flanks, according to The Associated Press.

The outlet reports the eruption was larger yet since the first eruption took place Friday morning and sent plumes of ash more than 20,000 feet into the air. Ash has covered much of the island, and the stench of sulfur has filled the air after a series of eruptions.

“It’s destroying everything in its path,” Erouscilla Joseph, director of the University of the West Indies’s Seismic Research Center, told The Associated Press.

“Anybody who would have not heeded the evacuation, the need to get out immediately.”

On Thursday, evacuation orders were issued for about 16,000 people in communities threatened by the volcano and cruise ships began taking evacuees to other islands nearby that agreed to take them.

There have been no immediate reports of injuries or deaths, although the persistent volcano activity has threatened water and food supplies, and officials are concerned about residents who have refused to evacuate the area, according to The Associated Press.

“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,” NEMO of St. Vincent and the Grenadines said in a Facebook post Monday.

The group said attempts will be made Monday to rescue anyone still remaining in the evacuation zone. At least four cruise ships floated nearby waiting to take evacuees remaining off the island, according to AP.

“This is no joke,” NEMO of St. Vincent and the Grenadines said.

An increase in the volcano’s activity has been observed since November as researchers detected a series of small volcano-tectonic earthquakes.

The volcano last erupted in 1979. and a devastating eruption in 1902 killed about 1,600. St. Vincent has a population of more than 110,000 people.

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Ash Falls like Snow on Barbados

Newsweek- Plumes of volcanic ash have fallen like snow on the island of Barbados after the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano on nearby St. Vincent.

Residents of Barbados, over 120 miles from the explosive volcano on the Caribbean island, shared videos on social media showing darkening skies and thick chunks of ash raining down on roads and the landscape.

One video, uploaded by Twitter account Bajan Lifestyles, showed ash falling on Barbados’ east coast on April 10. “Right now, it looks like night,” the uploader was heard saying.The La Soufrière volcano first erupted on Friday last week, with scientists warning that the eruptions may continue for several days to weeks. Around 16,000 residents living in a “red zone” were told to urgently evacuate their homes, the BBC reported.

The National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) said on Sunday the blast left St. Vincent and the Grenadines looking “like a battle zone.” On Monday it said the volcano continued to “erupt explosively” and may do so for several days.

As the ash spread to neighboring islands and into the Atlantic Ocean by the wind, the NEMO agency warned: “Ash particles can be breathed into lungs. They can cause runny nose, sore throat, hacking cough, wheezing or shortness of breath.”

In another video from Barbados, live-streamed by resident Roseann Haynes on April 11, ash could be seen blanketing surfaces and plants in the Waterford area of Bridgetown.

The Barbados Meteorological Service (BMS) confirmed on Monday that a volcanic ash and small craft warning released on Sunday remained in effect for Barbados.

It said: “Imagery continues to show ash plumes traveling eastward toward Barbados in varying concentrations. Given the highly active nature of the La Soufrière volcano, it is likely that further eruptions will occur and depending on the intensity of the ash plume and wind direction, Barbados may continue to [have] reduced visibility.”

Barbados residents were told ash would “cause a significant reduction in visibility and possible respiratory problems” for people who experience difficulty breathing.

On Sunday, NEMO warned roads on St. Vincent had become “treacherous” from the ashfall, after warning residents “strong sulphur scents” were also in the air.

It said “lightning, thunder and rumblings” were taking place alongside eruptions, and the majority of the island, which is home to around 110,900 people, was without power.

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