On 8 April 2021, after a sustained increase of seismic activities over few days, an alert was declared and an evacuation issued. An explosive eruption occurred at 8:41 AM local time on the following day, with an ash plume reaching 10 000 m and flying eastward towards the Atlantic ocean. The second explosion happened yesterday as well as strong as the previous one.
The director of the Seismological Center at the University of the Antilles, Eruscilja Joseph, stated that large amounts of ash fell on the settlements around the volcano, and warned that new explosions are possible. By then, approximately 20,000 people had evacuated the area surrounding the volcano.
Help with tents, beds, and face masks is arriving on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent and officials are expected to start sharing it. Neighbouring Caribbean countries offered help as well.
La Soufrière is an active volcano on the island of Saint Vincent in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is the highest peak in Saint Vincent, and has had five recorded explosive eruptions since 1718. The eruption of the Soufriere volcano last happened in 1979, and before that in 1902, when about 1,600 people died.
