Activity continues at La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent

Aerial reconnaissance at the La Soufriere volcano on Thursday showed that the effusive eruption, which began on Tuesday, is continuing. Photographs taken show that the dome continues to increase in size.

In a release, the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) said two aerial reconnaissance flights took place on Thursday. The first was carried out by the team of scientists from the UWI Seismic Research Centre as they travelled to St Vincent on Thursday morning aboard the regional security system (RSS) aircraft. However, heavy cloud cover prevented them from getting a good view of the crater.

The team, comprising geologist Prof Richard Robertson, instrumentation engineer Lloyd Lynch and engineering technician Ian Juman, are subject to a working quarantine which will allow them to strengthen the seismic and GPS networks used to monitor the volcano, while having limited contact with anyone outside the team.

During the second aerial reconnaissance in the afternoon, the photographer was able to capture photos of the crater, which showed that the effusive eruption continued and the new dome also continued to increase in size.

NEMO said the steam being seen above the crater is produced when the magma interacts with the surface temperature, especially at mornings when the air is cool. It said similar activity could continue for weeks or months.

The organisation reminded the public that there is no evacuation order or notice has been issued, but people living in areas close to the volcano which include communities from Fancy to Georgetown and Belle Isle to Richmond are asked to remain alert and listen to all advisories.

Alert levels remain at orange. NEMO is also appealing to the public to desist from visiting the La Soufriere Volcano until the scientists advise that it is safe to do so.