KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (AP) – La Soufriere volcano fired a massive amount of ash and hot gas early Monday in the largest explosive eruption to date since volcanic activity began on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent late last week, with officials concerned about the lives of those who refused to be evacuated.
Experts called it a “massive explosion” that created pyroclastic flows along the south and southwest flanks of the volcano.
“It destroys everything in its path,” Erouscilla Joseph, director of the University of the West Indies’ Seismic Research Center, told The Associated Press. “Anyone who disregarded the evacuation must go out immediately.”
There were no immediate reports of injuries or death, but government officials rushed to respond to the latest eruption, which was even larger than the first eruption that occurred Friday morning. About 16,000 people living in communities near the volcano were evacuated Thursday by government orders, but an unknown number have been left behind and refused to move.
Richard Robertson, of the seismic research center, told local station NBC Radio that the volcano’s old and new domes have been destroyed and a new crater has formed. He said the pyroclastic flows would have razed everything in their path.
“Everything there was, human, animal, everything … they are gone,” he said. “And it’s a terrible thing to say.”
Joseph said the latest explosion is similar to that of 1902, which killed about 1,600 people. The volcano last erupted in 1979. Ash from the continuous explosions has fallen on Barbados and other nearby islands.
The ongoing volcanic activity has threatened the water and food supply, forcing the government to drill for fresh water and distribute it via trucks.
“We cannot put tarpaulin over a river,” said Garth Saunders, minister of the island’s water and sewerage authority, referring to the inability to try to protect current water resources from the continuous falling ash.
He told NBC Radio officials are also trying to set up water distribution points.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said government officials are meeting Monday afternoon to discuss food supply issues.
Cots, tents, water tanks, and other essentials poured into St. Vincent as nearby lands rushed to help the victims of the eruptions. At least four empty cruise ships floated nearby, waiting to take evacuees to other islands who had agreed to receive them temporarily, including Antigua and Grenada. All government seaport employees were asked to report
Gonsalves told NBC Radio on Sunday that his government will do everything possible to help those forced to leave their homes in ash-filled communities.
“It’s a huge operation we’re facing,” he said. “It’s going to be expensive, but I don’t want us squeezing … this is going to be a long term.”
Gonsalves said it could take four months for life to return to normal in St. Vincent, which is part of an island chain that also includes the Grenadines. Most of the 100,000 inhabitants live in St. Vincent.
The pandemic also complicates response efforts. At least 14 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported since the outbreaks began on Friday, and everyone who goes to shelters is being tested. Those who test positive are taken to isolation centers. More than 3,700 people are in 84 government shelters.
The Eastern Caribbean has 19 living volcanoes, 17 of which are on 11 islands. The remaining two are underwater near Grenada, including one called Kick ‘Em Jenny that has been active for the past several years. The most active of them all is the Soufriere Hills in Montserrat, which has continuously erupted since 1995, devastating the capital, Plymouth, and killing at least 19 people in 1997.
Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico