Locals flee after volcano erupts

National

DOZENS, potentially hundreds of people have fled from their villages, after Mt Ulawun volcano erupted into life yesterday.
Mt Ulawun, which straddles the boundary of East and West New Britain, started erupting at about 8am yesterday according to Steve Saunders, from the nearby Rabaul Volcano Observatory.
Saunders told Radio New Zealand the volcano had been showing signs of increased activity for the past few weeks, but the eruption started in earnest, when the 2,334 metre volcano started spewing ash as high as 13km into the air.
“There’s been some force behind it,” Saunders said, adding that the volcano was still erupting steadily yesterday evening.
Thousands of people live around the base of Mt Ulawun, which lies a five-hour drive away from the West New Britain capital, Kimbe.
Officials told RNZ that authorities had been dispatched to help with the evacuations, although many villages had already started evacuating their homes themselves.
Saunders said his teams were nervously watching the activity.
The volcano was steadily rumbling away, he said, belching ash and gases, but could either settle down or intensify in the coming hours.
“It’s still early days [as] to what it’s going to do,” he said.
Air Niugini yesterday advised all flights to Hoskins Airport yesterday and today have been suspended due to the eruption of Mt Ulawun.
The statement said a risk assessment will be carried out this morning to determine if flights shall resume or not.
All passengers travelling to and from Hoskins are advised to call 327 3300 after 9am to check on the status of the Hoskins flights.