PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) — Up to 3,000 villagers were preparing to evacuate their northern Papua New Guinea island after a volcano erupted during the weekend, raining acidic ash on their homes.
The Manam volcano on Manam island, about 370 miles northwest of the capital, Port Moresby, started spewing ash and lava across one side of the island Sunday night.
National Disaster Management Director-General Henry Mokono said Tuesday no one was hurt in the eruption, but that crops were damaged.
“The indications are very clear that it might go off again,” Mokono said. “Our message to them is to be on alert.” Boats were being prepared by villagers in case the volcano erupted again, forcing an evacuation.
The volcano, which erupts about every eight years, last erupted in 1996, killing 17 people.
Lava from Sunday’s eruption “covered gardens and hunting grounds. It didn’t actually touch the villagers,” Mokono said.
“A major concern to us is the acidic ash—it is considered dangerous,” he said. The volcano had been smoking since January.
Many residents fled Manam Island for good after the 1996 eruption destroyed the village of Budua.
