Bloomberg: “An explosive eruption rocked La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent on Friday following mandatory evacuation orders from the local government. Emergency management officials said the ash column was about 20,000 feet (6 kilometers) high and that the ash was headed east into the Atlantic Ocean. However, heavy ashfall also was reported in communities around the volcano, said Erouscilla Joseph, director of the University of the West Indies Seismic Center. ‘More explosions could occur,’ she said, adding that it was impossible to predict whether any potential upcoming explosions would be bigger or smaller than the first one.”
“There were no immediate reports of casualties. The volcano last erupted in 1979, and a previous eruption in 1902 killed some 1,600 people. The new eruption followed mandatory evacuation orders issued Thursday for people who live near the volcano. Officials planned to place them aboard cruise ships, send them to nearby islands or take them to shelters elsewhere in St. Vincent that are outside the danger zone. Roughly 16,000 people live in the red zone and will need to be evacuated, Joseph, said. The pandemic could hamper evacuation efforts.”