Ash-covered St Vincent braces for more volcanic eruptions

People who ignored an initial warning to evacuate the area closest to a volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St Vincent raced to get clear on Saturday, a day after it erupted with an explosion that shook the ground, spewed ash skyward and blanketed the island in a layer of fine volcanic rock. The eruption of La Soufriere – its first large one since 1979 – transformed the island’s lush towns and villages into gloomy, grey versions of themselves. A strong sulphur smell was unavoidable on Saturday and ash covered everything, creeping into homes, cars and noses, and obscuring the sunshine that makes the island so popular with tourists.