Biggest Volcano Explosion Yet Hits Tiny Caribbean Island

La Soufriere erupted back into life on Friday after decades of inactivity, pumping dark clouds of ash some 10 km (6 miles) into the air and prompting an evacuation by sea and land of thousands of nearby residents.

Hot flows of ash, rock fragments and gas tore down the flanks of the La Soufriere volcano on the tiny Caribbean island of Saint Vincent on Monday after its most powerful explosion yet, four days after it first started erupting. La Soufriere erupted back into life on Friday after decades of inactivity, pumping dark clouds of ash some 10 km (6 miles) into the air and prompting an evacuation by sea and land of thousands of nearby residents. No deaths have been reported so far but a roughly a third of the island is off limits and airspace remains closed while power and water supply is intermittent in some communities. Several Vincentians told Reuters they were avoiding venturing outdoors as the ash was clogging the air and turning into what looked like cement in the rain, making it difficult to walk or drive.