BRADES, Montserrat, CMC – Scientists monitoring the Soufriere Hills Volcano Friday reported a “large pyroclastic flow” of hot rock, ash and gas on the northern section of the island and urged persons within the area to evacuate immediately.
“There has been a pretty large pyroclastic flow, probably a dome collapse. We don’t know the true size of the collapse at the moment, but we do know that pryoclastic flows have probably reached the sea,” said the director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) Dr. Paul Cole.
Speaking on the state-owned Radio Montserrat, a few minutes after the incident, Cole urged persons in the area to evacuate to safer zones and that only essential service workers should travel towards the volcano site.
“It is quite possible that the pyroclastic flows are continuing. So anybody who is in the vicinity…should proceed to higher grounds,” he said, adding “we have advised people to evacuate”.
Since the start of the year, the scientists have been reporting that the “morphology of the summit of the lava dome is changing quite rapidly” and that although some of the dome is obscured by clouds, there is a clear significant addition of lava on the northern side.
“Initial estimates suggest that this is approximately 60 meters high and more than 100 meters wide,” the MVO said in a bulletin this week, adding that recent photographs “demonstrate that the size and shape of the lava dome can change rapidly and that a significant amount of lava has been added to the summit region of the northern part of the lava dome over the last three days.
“Clearly such addition of lava increases the potential volume that can collapse to form pyroclastic flows on the northern flank, such as down Tyers Ghaut,” it warned.
Cole said it was for this reason that the authorities have maintained a “Level Four” alert in order to prevent persons from entering the danger zones associated with the volcano that first began erupting in 1995.
“It is quite clear and I don’t think it needs spelling out to people what happened this afternoon. This is the reason why we have a level four and we cannot go down to a level two,” he said noting that overnight there had been activity within the volcano.
“…it says something clearly that’s why we are on level four and exactly what can happen with this volcano with dome collapses. We have no precursory activity at all…any precursory signals whatsoever…and this is why we have been so cautious with the volcano so far”.
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It is easy for people to say that the people of Montserrat should evacuate the island, but one thing they forget to ask is where would the people go? England?? What country would be wiling to support over 5000 people at once, this includes housing, feeding and providing employment. Yes some people could move to other countries where they have family, but again will their families be willing to support them even for a short time. I live here in Montserrat and I know exactly how this is. There are people who have come back to Montserrat to Montserrat because they could not find jobs overseas, or family members treated them so badly.
the dome has collapsed within it self i would have imagined.
what is frightning is a massive eruption… and the island’s inhabitants.
monserratians is time to move- on the double. life is at stake here!
hope this thing dosn’t collapse into the sea or the caribbean would have its first tsuanami in years.costal villages i think we need to monitor this one.now would be a good time for the disaster office to issue a statement on that.