Comoros Volcano Spews Ash Over Capital
Date: 28-Nov-05
Country: COMOROS
Author: Ahmed Ali Amir
Mount Karthala, a 2,361-metre (7,746-feet) volcano, sent clouds of ash and sparks flying late on Thursday, leaving the capital Moroni and other villages on the main island of Grande Comore covered in grey.
Witnesses said the ground continued to rumble on Friday.
A number of villagers who live close to Karthala fled on foot and by car, while authorities put disaster plans into place and urged the public to remain calm.
Karthala erupted in April, forcing thousands to flee in fear of poisonous gas and a possible magma flow. It was the first eruption in more than a decade on the archipelago nation, 300 km (190 miles) off the coast of east Africa.
"For the last 10 days, the volcano has been showing worrying signs, but in the last week the activity has risen. This phenomenon of rising activity is not predictable," said Hamidou Soule, a vulcanologist with the National Centre for Documentation and Scientific Research.
The centimetre-thick layer of ash made breathing difficult for thousands who had no means of protection beyond wrapping scarves around their faces.
The islands have largely escaped major destruction from the volcano, but has had several close calls. In 1991, the last eruption before April, Karthala threw boulders for several kilometres but caused no injuries.
A torrent of molten rock coursed down a fissure on the side of the mountain in April 1977, destroying 300 homes in the village of Singani, but again, residents escaped to safety.
In 1903, noxious fumes seeped from cracks and suffocated 17 people.