VOLCANO erupts in Vanuatu

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Hundreds left homeless by volcano eruption in remote Vanuatu island

By Associated Press, 6/12/2001 03:55

PORT VILA, Vanuatu (AP) Authorities in the Pacific Islands nation of Vanuatu scrambled Tuesday to help hundreds of people left almost without food or fresh water for four days following a volcanic eruption.

The eruption blanketed the remote island of Palma in a layer of ash that destroyed crops and contaminated water supplies used by 2,000 people, disaster management official Barton Bisiwei told local media.

Bisiwei said there were no reports of injuries more severe than sore throats after the nearby volcanic island of Lopeivi spewed ash into the sky Friday, destroying the uninhabited island's vegetation. More than a yard of hot ash was dumped on Lopeivi, and several inches blanketed Palma.

An Australian naval vessel had taken emergency drinking water to Palma. Another ship was due Wednesday with more water and to evacuate about 100 high school students and their teachers.

A Vanuatu government emergency team was assessing whether to evacuate the remaining villagers, Bisiwei said.

Since the eruption, the island's population had been living off fish and wild yams roasted on open fires.

Volcanic activity is common in Vanuatu, a nation of about 200,000 people located on a chain of 80 islands in the South Pacific, 1,400 miles northeast of Sydney, Australia.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2001

Answers

etna has been active for a while now. I heard on the news the other night that it had spewed some ash all over a town.

Here are some links to Etna.

an Etna info site

Michigan Technology University

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2001


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