The volcano in the carribean island of Saint Vincent has erupted the island's government had already ordered some sixteen thousand people to evacuate homes near the volcano as they made their way along the winding mountain side roads an ash column could be seen towering overhead emergency management officials estimated it reached twenty thousand feet unfortunately for Saint Vincent most of the ash was headed north east over the Atlantic Ocean but communities closest to the volcano reported heavy ashfall and poor visibility hindered the evacuations summer being put aboard cruise ships others heading to nearby islands and some two thousand people are in government shelters the four thousand foot volcano last erupted in nineteen seventy nine it continues to rumble I'm Ben Thomas