Volcanic ash clouds spread from St Vincent to Barbados | Daily News

Volcanic ash clouds spread from St Vincent to Barbados

ANTIGUA, BARBUDA: Ash covered much of the Caribbean island of St Vincent and the stench of sulphur filled the air after a series of eruptions from a volcano that had been quiet for decades.

The thick dust was also on the move, travelling 175 kilometres to the east and starting to affect the neighbouring island of Barbados.

"Barbadians have been urged to stay indoors as thick plumes of volcanic ash move through the atmosphere," the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency said.

The whitish powder caked roads, homes and buildings in St Vincent after the powerful blasts from the La Soufriere volcano that began on Friday.

Visibility in some areas was extremely limited, while in the capital city Kingstown on the south of the island – the volcano is in the north – the ash caused a thin haze of dust, the portal said.

"Vincentians are waking up to extremely heavy ash fall and strong sulphur smells which have now advanced to the capital," the local emergency management agency tweeted.

The eruptions prompted thousands of people to flee to safety. Around 16,000 people live in areas under evacuation orders.

The 1,235-metre La Soufriere – the name is French for "sulphur mine" – had not erupted since 1979, and its largest eruption happened over a century ago, killing more than 1,000 people in 1902. - AFP