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Kingstown (AP) - The La Soufrière volcano erupted on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent.
A column of smoke up to eight kilometers high rose over the mountain in the north of the island, announced the Nemo disaster control agency on Friday.
Ash rain fell at Argyle International Airport in the south of the island.
Nemo called on all residents to leave the danger zone around the volcano immediately.
Subterranean tremors had previously been detected at the volcano, indicating that magma was moving to the surface of the earth.
The government of the island state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines began evacuating the so-called red zone around the volcano on Thursday.
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The cruise companies Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises sent two ships to the region to bring people out of the danger zone to safety.
The Jamaican government offered its assistance to the authorities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The 1178 meter high La Soufrière is the only active volcano on St. Vincent.
Around 1,500 people were killed in an outbreak in 1902.
It last erupted in 1979.
Current volcanic activity began in December, according to Nemo.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210409-99-144286 / 2