Expert says major eruption in Papua New Guinea could be soon
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Seismic activity beneath a Papua New Guinea volcano could mean that a major eruption is imminent, a scientist says.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from islands surrounding Kadovar Island off the nation’s north coast since a volcano there began erupting on January 5, spouting ash. Flights nearby have been cancelled because of the risk posed by ash plumes, and ships have been warned to stay away from the island.
Steve Saunders, principal geodetic surveyor at the Rabaul Volcano Observatory in Papua New Guinea, said seismic activity had recently increased beneath the volcano. ‘‘The reason we’re getting activity is probably because new magma is moving up from deeper down,’' Saunders told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has said state resources are being made available to support evacuations, and has warned northern coastal communities to be alert for possible tsunamis. Kadovar is offshore to the north of New Guinea, the larger island that includes Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby.
Aikari Muri, the International Red Cross’s disaster risk management logistics officer for Papua New Guinea, said the military had used two boats to completely evacuate the 600 Kadovar residents to the mainland.
He could not say whether the evacuations of nearby islands had been completed by yesterday.
Papua New Guinea sits on the ‘‘Ring of Fire,’' a line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific that has frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.