Volcano Erupts in Southern Caribbean, Sparking Evacuation 'Frenzy'
Voice of America
ROSE HALL, ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES - La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent erupted on Friday after decades of inactivity, sending dark plumes of ash and smoke billowing into the sky and forcing thousands from surrounding villages to evacuate.
Dormant since 1979, the volcano started showing signs of activity in December, spewing steam and smoke and rumbling away. That picked up this week, prompting Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves to order an evacuation of the surrounding area late on Thursday. Early on Friday it finally erupted. Ash and smoke plunged the neighboring area into near total darkness, blotting out the bright morning sun, said a Reuters witness, who reported hearing the explosion from Rose Hall, a nearby village. Smaller explosions continued throughout the day, Erouscilla Joseph, director at the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre, told Reuters, adding that this kind of activity could go on for weeks if not months.
FILE - A monarch butterfly rests near a stream at Piedra Herrada sanctuary in the mountains near Valle de Bravo, Mexico, Jan. 4, 2023.
Demonstrators gather for the Stand Up For Science rally near the Lincoln Memorial, March 7, 2025, in Washington. A protestor wearing a fish costume holds a sign as demonstrators gather for the Stand Up For Science rally near the Lincoln Memorial, March 7, 2025, in Washington.
FILE - A photo illustration of bitcoin is seen at consensus, the flagship event of Coindesk and the data platform for the global crypto economy, at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong on Feb. 19, 2025.
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lifts off for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, March 6, 2025.
Callum Ganz, 17, center, gives a pre-show pep talk to castmates in 'Crazy for You' on opening night as the Theatre Palisades Youth group returns to the stage after losing their theater in the Palisades fire, in Los Angeles, Feb. 28, 2025. A Theatre Palisades stands next to the theater destroyed by the Palisades Fire, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 25, 2025.
This March 3, 2025, image courtesy of Intuitive Machines, LLC shows the company's IM-2 mission Nova-C class lunar lander, Athena, in circular orbit around the moon.
FILE - Cars drive along a highway photographed through a glass window during a dust storm amid heavy pollution in Beijing, March 10, 2023.
FILE - Open AI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman speaks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Sept. 23, 2024. A U.S. judge on Tuesday denied Elon Musk's request to prevent OpenAI from becoming a for-profit business.
Trent, left, and Victoria Warmerdam, winners of the award for best live action short film for "I'm Not a Robot," attend the Governors Ball after the Oscars on March 2, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Staff at the Mission Control outside Austin, Texas celebrating as lunar lander Blue Ghost touches down on the moon with a special delivery for NASA, March 2, 2025. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP) Private lunar lander Blue Ghost after touching down on the moon with a special delivery for NASA, March 2, 2025. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP)
Trent, left, and Victoria Warmerdam, winners of the award for best live action short film for "I'm Not a Robot," attend the Governors Ball after the Oscars on March 2, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Workers carry an Oscar statue as Hollywood Boulevard continues to be transformed into the red carpet arrival area for the 97th Academy Awards, in Los Angeles, California, Feb. 28, 2025.
Staff at the Mission Control outside Austin, Texas celebrating as lunar lander Blue Ghost touches down on the moon with a special delivery for NASA, March 2, 2025. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP) Private lunar lander Blue Ghost after touching down on the moon with a special delivery for NASA, March 2, 2025. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP)