MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Authorities in the South Pacific archipelago nation of Vanuatu have evacuated more than 6,000 people in connection with the likely eruption of Manaro (Monaro) volcano, the country’s Disaster Management Office (NDMO) said Tuesday.
"The evacuation process is still going on – maybe today or tomorrow it will be completed … The indication that came in is that we’ve moved over 6,000 people already," NDMO Director Shadrack Welegtabit said, as quoted by Vanuatu Independent Online.
Last week, the activity of Manaro on the island of Ambae sharply increased, and the volcanic alert level was raised to level 4 out of 5. Consequently, the Vanuatu government declared a state of emergency on the island, which has a total population of about 10,000. The population of the country is less than 300,000; 65 of the nation's 82 islands are inhabited.
