Ambae residents evacuate as Vanuatu volcano spews smoke

Still photograph of smoke coming from the Manaro Voui volcano (from Reuters video)

AMBAE, Vanuatu (Reuters) — Residents evacuated Vanuatu’s island of Ambae on Sunday (October 1) as volcano Manaro Voui spewed smoke, triggering concerns of an eruption.

People were taken from the island to nearby Espiritu Santo island on an Air Vanuatu flight.

More than 6000 people have already been moved to emergency shelters on the South Pacific island.

Vanuatu, a sprawling cluster of more than 80 islands and 260,000 people, is on the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire and its Tana island active volcano is a major tourist attraction.