Authorities in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent say they believe an active volcano is in danger of exploding and have ordered mandatory evacuations.
The island’s emergency management office switched the alert level to red on Wednesday and said the first cruise line will arrive that night to evacuate those who live near La Soufriere volcano. It was not immediately clear how many people would be evacuated or where the ship would take them, or if they would remain temporarily aboard.
Officials said the dome of the volcano located on the island’s northern region could be seen glowing by nightfall.
St. Vincent is a small island as part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The island has a population of 100,000. The most populated portion of the island is on the southern end of the island, which is opposite from the volcano and is in the least danger as of Thursday evening.
