Vanuatu on alert as submerged volcano erupts

Vanuatu’s East Epi underwater volcano erupted on Wednesday, hurtling ash into the sky and leading authorities to warn ships and aircraft to avoid the area.

East Epi lies 68km north of the capital, Port Vila. Picture: Twitter

Vanuatu’s East Epi underwater volcano erupted on Wednesday, hurtling ash into the sky and leading authorities to warn ships and aircraft to avoid the area.

“We are telling locals to watch out for any strong explosions as the eruptions are ongoing,” said senior volcano officer Ricardo William, at the meteorology and geo-hazards department. A 10km danger zone has been established around the submerged volcano, which lies 68km north of the capital, Port Vila.

After reports of steam over the site, the underwater volcano started belching ash up to 100m high early on Wednesday.

Volcanic activity started shortly before 8am. Eyewitness Philip Dick, a government official, said the ground started shaking and smoke above the site was visible in the early hours. “Then the explosions began – there is still a bad smell of sulphur within the nearby villages,” he said.

Officials raised the volcano alert to the first level, meaning “minor unrest”, on a scale of one to five. Locals on the nearby islands of Epi and Tongoa have been told to avoid the coast.

The Pacific island nation was rocked by a 7.0-magnitude earth­quake in early January off the largest island, Espiritu Santo, in the north of the archipelago.

AFP