La Soufriere, a volcano in St. Vincent, has erupted on Friday, the National Emergency Management Organization of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (NEMO SVG) confirmed on Twitter.
“La Soufriere has moved into an explosive state. Plumes up to eight kilometers (4.97 miles),” the agency said.
NEMO SVG said minutes after the volcano erupted, ash fell at Argyle International Airport, on the other side of the 133 square-mile island.
Officials from the NEMO encouraged people to leave the “red zone” of the volcano “immediately,” and as of Friday morning officials were still evacuating residents from the island.
Friday’s eruption marked the first time the mountain has erupted since April 1979.
