Red alert after Comoros volcano triggers tremors
Pastor Dale Morgan
Red alert after Comoros volcano triggers tremors*
MORONI, Jan 13 (AFP) Jan 13, 2007
Authorities in the Comoros Islands placed the population of the tiny
Indian Ocean nation on red alert Saturday following several seismic
tremors triggered by a volcanic eruption on Mount Karthala.
There were no immediate reports of damage and the government held back
from ordering residents to evacuate their homes as a red glow could be
seen over the top of the volcano, just 15 kilometers (nine miles) from
the capital Moroni.
Hamid Soule, head of the Karthala observatory, told reporters that the
eruptions had begun overnight.
The tremors had been a result of "internal (magma) activity which has
given us cause for concern," he told a press conference.
While the lava which was produced overnight had now probably solidified,
he added that "the internal activity is continuing".
"We cannot rule out the danger of a lateral eruption outside of the
crater," said Soule.
A statement from the president's office confirmed that "a red alert
status has been declared and emergency measures to ensure the security
of people and property have been activated."
The armed forces and police had been primed to prepare for any
eventuality, Colonel Ismael Mogne Daho, a senior official at the
archipelago's emergency operation centre, told AFP.
There have been a number of scares in recent years after activity within
the volcano.
In November 2005, Karthala spewed huge plumes of ash that blanketed the
island and temporarily deprived its 250,000 inhabitants of drinkable water.
In April 2005, nearly 10,000 villagers living at the base of the
mountain fled their homes after similar emissions of ash started
widespread fears of drinking-water contamination.
Mount Karthala last had an overflow magma eruption in 1977, when lava
destroyed the village of Singani, some 20 kilometres south of Moroni,
and toxic gas was released into the air but did not cause any deaths.