16000 Residents Evacuate Due to Caribbean Island Volcano Eruption

[Image source=Reuters]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The Soufri?re volcano on Saint Vincent Island in the Caribbean erupted for the first time in about 400,000 years, forcing approximately 16,000 nearby residents to evacuate urgently.

According to the Associated Press and other sources, at around 8:40 a.m. local time on the 9th, an explosive eruption occurred at the Soufri?re volcano on Saint Vincent Island, the largest island of the Caribbean island nation Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. So far, no deaths or injuries have been reported from the eruption. An evacuation order had been issued to residents near the volcano prior to the eruption.

Experts who have been monitoring recent activity of the Soufri?re volcano alerted authorities about the possibility of an eruption after detecting earthquakes the previous day. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, ordered about 16,000 residents in the danger zone to evacuate the previous afternoon. Currently, more than 2,000 residents have taken refuge in 62 shelters set up by the government.

Authorities plan to evacuate some residents by boarding them onto cruise ships to nearby islands. Neighboring Caribbean island nations such as Saint Lucia, Grenada, Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda have expressed willingness to accommodate the evacuees.

The Soufri?re volcano, which stands 1,234 meters above sea level, last erupted in April 1979. Thanks to advance warnings, there were no casualties, but property damage amounted to 100 million USD (approximately 112.1 billion KRW). During the 1902 eruption, 1,600 people died.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a Commonwealth country in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean, consisting of Saint Vincent Island and other smaller islands, covering an area of 389 square kilometers with a population of about 110,000. In the eastern Caribbean region, there are a total of 17 active volcanoes on 11 islands, including the Soufri?re volcano. Among them, the Soufri?re Hills volcano located on the British territory of Montserrat has been continuously erupting since 1995. During the 1997 eruption, 19 people died, and the capital was temporarily relocated from Plymouth to Brades.