La Soufrière volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines erupts, thousands evacuated

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The La Soufrière volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has erupted and has begun spewing plumes of smoke, ash, and steam, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) reported today.

According to NEMO, the ash has reached Argyle International Airport, located 19 kilometers from the volcano. St. Vincent and the Grenadines had not recorded significant volcanic activity since 1979.

An explosive eruption of La Soufriere caused the death of more than a thousand people in 1902. Through its official Twitter account, NEMO has reiterated to the inhabitants of the northeast and northwest of St. Vincent island to leave the area “immediately”.

The Seismic Research Unit (SRU) of the University of the East Indies (UWI) in Trinidad and Tobago, which assists in monitoring the eruption, said, meanwhile, that the activity began at 08.41 local times (12.41 GMT).

“This is the culmination of the seismic activity that began yesterday, April 8,” he said in a brief statement in which he warned that he would provide information as it becomes available.

The smoke plume is visible from the south of the island of St. Lucia, the closest country to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which is ready to receive evacuees.

Thousands of people in St. Vincent and the Grenadines have been evacuated by ferries early this morning, and several cruise ships are expected to arrive to transport more residents in the vicinity of the erupting La Soufrière volcano.

According to NEMO, other residents are being accommodated in shelters. Local media indicate that after it was initially announced that two cruise ships would arrive, the number could be four.

It is estimated that between 15,000 and 16,000 people are affected. St. Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, Barbados, and Antigua have also offered to take in evacuees.

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, local health authorities have indicated that evacuees should be vaccinated in case they are transferred on cruise ships to other countries.

Overnight the volcano’s dome was hot, and particles of fire were visible. The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a small Caribbean territory of about 110,000 inhabitants,  ordered yesterday, March 8, the evacuation of part of St. Vincent island.