Soufriere Hills blows again

Montserrat Volcano Devastates 'Safe Area'

Eyewitnesses have spoken of a massive column of grey smoke mushrooming into a huge, grey cloud as Montserrat's volcano erupted again on Friday.

Ash covers most of Plymouth

The island's capital, Plymouth, has already been devastated by previous eruptions, and has been abandoned to the ash and rocks that have ruined most of its buildings.

The latest eruption shot cinders into the sky, and sent rock fragments raining on the northern tip of the island where the 5,500 remaining residents are located.

Eruptions are becoming longer, according to experts monitoring the volcanic activity from nearby Guadeloupe. Friday's eruptions lasted two or three times longer than anything previously monitored.

The northern area, which makes up about one third of the island, is largely protected from lava flows, but the subsequent pollution could prove lethal and mean having to abandon the British colony altogether.

Before Soufriere Hills blew its top in 1995, 12,000 people lived on Montserrat. Then the volcano remained silent until June 25 when it blew again, killing nine people.

The island was known as a crime free-haven, and attracted celebrities including Elton John, Eric Clapton, Sting and Paul McCartney.

RELATED SITES

The Official Montserrat Volcano Website