BRADES, Montserrat – No inhabited areas were affected by Friday’s volcano explosion, says Director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) Dr Paul Cole.
The full report reads as follows: “At 1:49 pm 5th Feb 2010 a vulcanian explosion occurred from the Soufriere Hills volcano. The event lasted seven minutes and sent pyroclastic flows mainly to the west of the volcano with pyroclastic flows rapidly reaching Plymouth and spreading across the sea for around 500m.

“Short pyroclastic flows, up to 2km runout, also travelled down Tyers Ghaut to the northwest and Whites Ghaut to the northeast. A plume rose rapidly to 21,000 ft (confirmed by pilot reports). There were no lapilli or ash fallout in inhabited regions due to an easterly wind direction. Precursory activity included only ash venting, although the event coincided with a cycle of increased activity.”

However, a change in wind direction on Saturday and Sunday did bring ash from subsequent emissions over the Centre Hills and into inhabited regions.
For Updated information about the volcano: http://searchmontserrat.com/island-guide/soufriere-hills-volcano/