Volcanic ash makes cities unlivable in the Eastern Caribbean – VIDEO

The tiny eastern Caribbean island of Saint Vincent was blanketed with a thin layer of ash and a “strong sulphur” smell hung in the air on Saturday, a day after a volcano spectacularly erupted after decades of inactivity.

The eruption of La Soufriere on Friday pumped dark clouds of ash some 10 km (6 miles) into the air, prompting an evacuation of some nearby residents.

Rumbling noises continued to emanate from the volcano, with ash coating rooftops, cars and roads in Kingstown, the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Videos from Saint Vincent showed a ghost-like landscape.

A Reuters witness in the town of Rabaka, about 2 miles from the volcano, said the ground was covered with about 12 inches (30 cm) of ash and rock fragments from the blast. Ash clouds blotted out the sun, giving the sky a bleak twilight look.

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Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said it was unclear how much more ash the volcano would vent out, adding that more than 3,200 people were now in shelters.