11 Jun 2003

Vanuatu volcano blows again

4:24 pm on 11 June 2003

The Lopevi volcano in Vanuatu has erupted again, sending a thick plume of smoke high into the air above the two nearby islands of Paama and Epi.

Eyewitnesses watching from Ambryn say the smoke is so thick that it blocked the sight of the two islands momentarily.

This is the second huge eruption after one several years ago which threatened the gardens and drinking water in Paama island and promted the government to send emergency relief assistance to its residents.