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A volcano in Papua New Guinea that was thought to be dormant has erupted for the first time in known history, spewing ash thousands of feet into the air and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents.
The 365m tall volcano on Kadovar Island began erupting on Friday, according to local media reports, and experts now fear it could lead to landslides and tsunamis in the area.
"Due to the steepness of the island, landslides are possible and together with the explosive nature of magma, tsunamis may be generated," the Rabual Volcanological Observatory said in a statement.
"It appears from satellite imagery and aerial photographs that it started with mild vulcanian activity from a vent at the southeast base.
"It appears a fissure may be opening just inside of the western wall of the net's breach descending down to at least sea level."
Cheyne O'Brien, a forecaster at the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, said that the ash clouds had been thrown up steadily to a height of 2,133m, forming a plume that is travelling west-northwest.
"It's just a continuous emission of volcanic ash at the moment," he added.
Mr O'Brien also said that although the plume does not yet pose a hazard to aircraft, that could change if the wind switched direction towards Papua New Guinea's Wewak airport.
