Mount Karthala erupts: people fled homes

About 10,000 people fled their homes in the Comoros archipelago Monday after lava started flowing out of a volcanic peak. Ash and dark smoke had been pouring out of Mount Karthala on the main island of Grand Comore for hours before lava was spotted on its east and southeastern slopes at 1:30 a.m. local time, a &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/399/14893_gates.html ' target=_blank>United Nations Childrens Fund official said. Deaths or injuries have been reported so far on the three-island republic, which has a population of about 770,000. Officials say the biggest risk will be lung injuries from breathing in toxic gases and ash. The volcano is overdue for an eruption. On average, Mount Karthala erupts about every 11 years, but its last significant activity was in 1991, informs CBC News. According to Scotsman, the volcano last erupted in July 1991. No one was killed then, but tens of thousands of villagers left their homes. While the volcano spewed ash and smoke before the eruption, officials urged residents to leave eastern parts of Grand Comore, and mobilised trucks and other vehicles to evacuate people from the area most affected by volcanic ash, Giuseppina Mazza, head of the UN team in the Comoros, said yesterday. Medical teams were also dispatched to aid those who had breathing problems because of the ash, she said. The lava is flowing to the eastern and probably southeastern slopes of the mountain, Maanfou said by telephone from the &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2001/12/19/24002.html ' target=_blank>Comoros capital, Moroni. Emergency officials are worried the volcano may spew sulfur and other toxic gases. Maanfou said the government had asked the Comoros Red Crescent to request gas masks from its partners. Mount Karthala lies at the centre of the southern half of Grande Comore, and the capital of Moroni, with a population of about 50,000, sits at the foot of the western slope of Mount Karthala. Comoros, a republic that gained independence from France in 1975, lies about 185 miles east of Mozambique and 250 miles west of &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/diplomatic/2002/07/08/32020.html ' target=_blank>Madagascar. One of the world’s poorest countries, it has a young and rapidly increasing population of about 770,000, and few natural resources. NR

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