- NAIROBI (AP) -- A volcano
erupted on the main island of the Comoros archipelago early Monday, sending
thousands of people fleeing from their homes at the urging of the government,
officials said.
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- There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries,
said Mohammed Maanfou, deputy secretary-general of the Comoros Red Crescent
Society.
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- Lava started flowing out of the 2,360-metre Mount Karthala
at 1:30 a.m., just hours after the volcano spewed ash and dark smoke on
Grand Comore, the largest island of the Indian Ocean archipelago, said
Bernadette Ninyaratunga of the United Nations Children Fund.
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- A team of experts is flying over the volcano to assess
the dangers and the damage caused so far, she said. The Comoros lie about
300 kilometres east of the African nation of Madagascar.
-
- Some 10,000 people have fled their homes in fear of the
eruption. They have taken shelter with relatives in several towns, including
the capital, Moroni, Mr. Maanfou said.
-
- The volcano last erupted in July, 1991. No one was killed
then, but tens of thousands of villagers left their homes. The volcano
is known to erupt about every 11 years.
-
- As the volcano spewed ash and smoke before the eruption,
officials urged residents to leave eastern parts of Grand Comore and mobilized
vehicles to move people from the area most affected by volcanic ash, Giuseppina
Mazza, head of the UN team in the Comoros, said Sunday.
-
- Medical teams were also sent to aid those who had breathing
problems because of the ash, she said.
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- The lava is flowing to the eastern and probably southeastern
slopes of the mountain, Mr. Maanfou said by telephone from the Comoros
capital, Moroni.
-
- Emergency officials are worried that the volcano might
spew sulphur and other toxic gases.
-
- "The authorities of the Comorian Union sent a letter
asking the Comoros Red Crescent to request its partners for protection
masks that would protect against noxious gases that often are emitted by
the mountain during eruptions," Mr. Maanfou told the Associated Press.
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- Officials in Comoros have already set up an emergency
team to monitor and coordinate a response to the situation, Mr. Mazza said.
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- The mountain lies at the centre of the southern half
of Grande Comore, and Moroni, with a population of about 50,000, sits at
the foot of the western slope of Mount Karthala.
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- Comoros, a three-island republic that gained independence
from France in 1975, is one of the world's poorest countries with a population
of about 770,000.
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