New eruptions today: Mt Yasur and an unnamed underwater volcano

Scientists are warning airlines and tourists of the danger of ash and volcanic rocks erupting from Mt Yasur on Vanuatu’s Tanna island. Wellington’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre has reported an ash cloud covering 100 nautical square miles and more than 1.8 kilometres high within the volcano’s vicinity. A geohazard technical advisor for the Vanuatu government, Sylvain Todman, says tourists are now banned from visiting the volcano and the government’s assessing the impact for the ten villages nearby which are being affected by gas and ash spewing from its crater. “We saw very large explosions and important explosions outside the crater rim. All these bombs could reach all the villages around the volcano. We have a new kind of activity with a lot of ash falls, very large ash plumes and very important gas.” New Caledonia’s domestic airline has cancelled or delayed several flights to Mare and Lifou in the Loyalty Islands.
[link to hisz.rsoe.hu]

Pilots and seamen in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are being warned to keep away from an underwater volcano which has erupted. The Governor Benigno Fitial declared a State of Emergency at the weekend following the eruption of the volcano south of Sarigan Island. Sarigan is uninhabited, but travellers are being cautioned to keep at least five nautical miles clear. Our correspondent in Saipan, Mark Rabago, says the Emergency Management Office is monitoring the impact but so far little is known. “Current evidence points to a source being the submarine sea mouth, south of Sarigan, that there was a cloud that contained either ash or water vapour that appeared north of Anatahan volcano and now coming towards the CNMI and Guam.” Mark Rabago says a team of scientists is expected to investigate the eruption.
[link to hisz.rsoe.hu]