Volcano drives islanders away

Thousands of villagers living in the shadow of a volcano spewing ash and steam on the Vanuatu island of Ambae have been evacuated amid fears of a major eruption.

The volcano, on the central northern island in the Vanuatu group, has been erupting for about a fortnight but scientists who arrived from New Zealand on Sunday report the activity appears to be stabilising.

Paul Willis, the New Zealand High Commissioner to Vanuatu, said there was a low to medium risk of a major event and precautions were being taken to protect up to 5000 inhabitants who lived in the danger zone, which made up about one-third of the island.

Mr Willis said they had been evacuated to safer, flatter terrain on the east and west of the island.

He said the volcanic activity was rated at the lower end of two, on a one-to-four scale, but could get worse.

The Government was taking a precautionary approach and had announced a state of emergency about a week ago.

Mr Willis said there would be challenges concerning shelter, water and food for the relocated villagers.

New Zealand had been asked for scientific assistance and responded by sending three experts to the island - seismologists Brad Scott and Steve Sherburn, and volcanologist Karoly Nemeth.

They had been in regular satellite phone contact with colleague Shane Cronin, a senior lecturer in volcanic risk and emergency management at Massey University.

Dr Cronin told the Herald yesterday the scientists had not recorded any volcanic earthquakes but had evidence of tremors indicating some magna.

The 1400m-high volcano has a crater lake about five times the size of Ruapehu and the eruptions were taking place in the lake middle.

"It is very much like the Ruapehu activity in 1995."

Dr Cronin said it raised the risk of floods or lahars but at present the danger was assessed as quite low.

"They are not too concerned it will get worse."

However, such volcanoes did pose risk to villagers living on its flanks.

Over the past three years Massey University's department of geology and the National Disaster Management Office in Vanuatu had been drawing up management plans for the area.

Dr Cronin said the activity could last for a few weeks or possibly months.

New Zealand Red Cross water and sanitation aid worker Victoria Fray had also gone to Vanuatu to assist.