Volcano erupts on remote Papua New Guinea island

Volcano erupts, pummelling villages with rock and spewing lava on Papua New Guinea

  • Volcanic cone of Manam island towers out of the sea north of Papua New Guinea 
  • Volcano on mainland saw major activity in November 2004 forcing evacuation 
  • Around 9,000 people were forced to leave the area due to eruptions in island
  • Series of tremors triggered warning system and volcano began erupting after

One of Papua New Guinea’s most active volcanoes has erupted pummelling villages on a remote island with volcanic rock before subsiding, authorities said today.

Manam island is a volcanic cone that towers out of the sea north of the Papua New Guinea mainland and has a history of eruptions, with major activity in November 2004 forcing the evacuation of around 9,000 people from the area.

The volcano has erupted a number of times since then and spewed lava and ash last month.

Manam Volcano, Papua New Guinea erupting in June 2010. Warnings issued today after a series of eruptions stated that the volcano was ‘still volatile’

A series of tremors around Manam triggered a warning system on Monday and the volcano began erupting shortly after, the Rabaul Volcanological Observatory said.

The eruption continued into early Tuesday, Ima Itikarai of the observatory said.

An observatory report said there were ‘small ongoing eruptions’ from the main crater early Tuesday.

Lava was channelled into a nearby valley and ‘intermittent bursts’ of volcanic rock falling on villages, adding to a heightened risk of mudflows, it added.

Manam island, pictured here in a 2015 eruption, is a volcanic cone that towers out of the sea north of the Papua New Guinea mainland and has a history of eruptions

Manam island, pictured here in a 2015 eruption, is a volcanic cone that towers out of the sea north of the Papua New Guinea mainland and has a history of eruptions

The level of seismic activity declined later in the day after jumping early on Tuesday, the agency said.

But it warned that Manam was ‘still dynamic and volatile and therefore the potential for further eruptive activity in the future is still high’.

Papua New Guinea has many volcanoes, particularly on its offshore islands, as the country lies at the junction of two tectonic plates.

Some islanders who were evacuated from Manam 15 years ago and resettled elsewhere on Papua New Guinea recently complained they were still struggling with their new lives, The National newspaper reported.

Satellite image of a plume of smoke and ash from an eruption of Manam Volcano off north coast of Papua New Guinea in November 2004

Satellite image of a plume of smoke and ash from an eruption of Manam Volcano off north coast of Papua New Guinea in November 2004

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