Caribbean volcano spews ash for hundreds of miles
A volcanic eruption on the Caribbean island of Montserrat spewed clouds of ash as far away as Puerto Rico, causing airlines to cancel flights to and from the US territory.
Sunday’s eruption was the largest since March last year, said Peter Dunkley, director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.
The eruption sent a substantial plume of ash to the northwest toward the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, more than 200 miles away.
American Airlines, the Caribbean’s largest carrier, cancelled all flights to and from San Juan until late afternoon and some flights to the Virgin Islands were delayed.
Montserrat has lost about half its land to the hot rock-spewing eruptions of the Soufriere Hills Volcano, which began in 1995.
The island’s population shrank from 11,000 to about 5,000, who now live on the safe northern side, while others have moved off the island, most to neighbouring Antigua.
