Volcano erupts on Papua New Guinea island
Pastor Dale Morgan
Volcano erupts on Papua New Guinea island
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Reuters
Saturday, October 7, 2006; 5:10 AM
CANBERRA (Reuters) - A volcanic eruption on the Papua New Guinea island
of New Britain on Saturday caused panicked residents to flee homes and
sent ash plumes 18 kilometres into the air.
Mount Tavurvur on the outskirts of the former provincial capital Rabaul
erupted around 8.45 a.m. (2245 GMT Friday) with a blast which shattered
windows up to 12 kilometres (8 miles) from the caldera.
"It was quite scary, but it's quiter now and has quietened considerably
through the day," Rabaul Volcanological Observatory chief surveyor Steve
Saunders told Reuters.
In 1994, a large eruption on Mt Tavurvur and the nearby Vulcan peak
destroyed much of Rabaul, covering the airport and much of the town with
ash, and forcing the construction of a new capital, Kokopo, 20
kilometres away.
PNG's Mining Department said in a volcano bulletin that ash was falling
on Kokopo, causing power and phone cuts.
Saunders said magma had been welling up inside the 688 meter (2,200
foot) peak since 2005 and contained large amounts of gas, which
accounted for the explosive force of the eruption.
"Today looks like the activity it has been building up to, so it should
fall off now," he said.
Saunders said vulcanologists expected the peak to quieten quickly, but
the volcano was still surrounded by gas and dust, making it hard to
assess damage amid rumors lava had flowed from a previously unknown
vent. There were no reports of death or injuries.
Rabaul Chamber of Commerce President and hotelier Bruce Alexander told
Australian Associated Press that around 2,000 people -- or 90 percent of
the local population -- had fled the town as Mt Tavurvur erupted.
All flights into Tokua airport across the harbor from Rabaul had been
canceled due to ash falls.
Papua New Guinea lies on the Pacific Ocean "ring of fire," and
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common.