Volcano on Vanuatu’s Ambae Island spills heavy ash as acid rain falls from the sky

  • A state of emergency has been declared for Vanuatu’s Ambae Island

A state of emergency has been declared for Vanuatu’s Ambae Island as a volcano continues to spill heavy ash.

Thousands of residents who call the island home have been warned they may need to evacuate.

Medical assistance teams arrived on the island on Thursday to ‘provide medical support…sanitation, surveillance and public health services support to the people of Ambae,’ national EMT coordinator Dr Basil Leodoro told Vanuatu Daily Post. 

A state of emergency has been declared for Vanuatu’s Ambae Island as a volcano continues to spill heavy ash

Reports indicate that ash fall began to cover most of Ambae on Tuesday, with almost 1cm of ash being measured in some areas.  

‘I am confirming that heavy ash fall has caused skin and eye irritations, and exacerbated breathing conditions like asthma,’ continued Dr Leodoro.

‘We are also working very closely with our disease surveillance teams to monitor reported cases of Mumps, acute gastroenteritis and dengue in all Ambae residents but particularly those at evacuation centres,’ he said.   

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