International Refugee fleet rings volcano island as people flee lava
NZPA-Reuter Kingstown,' St Vincent Spasmodic eruptions! yesterday sent molten lava spewing down the Soufriere’ volcano as ships and boats converged on the Caribbean Island of St Vincent to help; evacuate refugees. Vulcanologists and seismo-l legists who have rushed to the island reported no big change in the state of the volcano. The Government of the! Prime Minister (Mr Milton Cato) fears the activity may be a prelude to the second big eruption this century. i The last big eruption, in May, 1902, killed 2000’ people. Two lava flows have been detected on either side of the 1475 metre crater. A pilot who flew over estimated they were each about 7km long.
,’ Officials estimate thati 15,000 of the island’s total 1 population of 100,000 people! . have been evacuated from 21 u villages near the volcano by : road and sea to two safej . areas in the southern ,cor-j 1 tiers of the island. -I But they believe at least! 30 persons are still in the: I immediate area of the vol-| 1 cano who refused to obeyj the evacuation order and! > have stayed at their homes. I ; So far there have been no’ ■: reports of deaths .or casu-j allies since the eruptions! began on Friday. But it isj not known if anyone is! j missing. I Many families have be-j come split up in the rush to! evacuate, and a full head-j count has not yet been! made. Coast Guard vessels from’ Puerto Rico. Barbados, and Trinidad and two warships,; one sent by France from the!
1 nearby island of Martinique,: 1 were converging on St Vin:lceni with supplies and to{ help in any further evac-k ' uation. ■j Aid from abroad is pourling in. The United Statesj (has sent thousands of blan-i ..kets and cooking utensils.! n Neighbouring islands have! [sent clothes and food. I Britain, which looks after: list Vincent’s foreign affairs! land defence, has provided! >($20,000 towards badly-) •Ineeded local supplies for the 1 {island. >j The seismologists and vul-i Jcanologists will be joined by) :experts in epidemic diseases) jwho will test the island’s) Hwater supply to make sure •{it is fit to drink. 1 Islanders have beenjj warned not to drink water!; contaminated by the vol-11 icanic ash which has fallen , Jas far away as Barbados,4 1160 km to the east.
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Press, 16 April 1979, Page 9
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392International Refugee fleet rings volcano island as people flee lava Press, 16 April 1979, Page 9
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