Power and water outages strike St Vincent after volcanic eruption
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda: Massive power outages struck the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent before dawn on Sunday, as officials recorded more explosive activity at a longdormant volcano that launched into a series of eruptions.
After remaining quiet for nearly 42 years, La Soufriere rumbled back into life Friday, blanketing the island in ash and permeating the air with the stench of sulphur.
The eruptions prompted thousands to flee for safety, with around 16,000 people living in areas under evacuation orders.
The country’s National Emergency Management Organization noted “another explosive event” early Sunday morning with the “majority of the country out of power and covered in ash”.
The volcano’s explosive phase is expected to last several days or even weeks, according to the Seismic Research Centre at the University of the West Indies (UWI), which advised residents to avoid inhaling the volcanic ash.
The whitish powder caked roads, homes and buildings in Saint Vincent.
While the volcano lies on the island’s northern end, in the capital Kingstown on the south end the ash caused a thin haze of dust, news portal news784.com. said.