January 7, 2019 Eruption of Manam

One of Papua New Guinea’s most active volcanoes has erupted, authorities said Tuesday, pummelling villages on a remote island with volcanic rock before subsiding. Manam island is a volcanic cone that towers out of the sea north of the Papua New Guinea mainland and has a history of eruptions, with major activity in November 2004 forcing the evacuation of some 9,000 people. The volcano has erupted a number of times since then and spewed lava and ash last month. A series of tremors around Manam triggered a warning system on Monday and the volcano began erupting shortly after, the Rabaul Volcanological Observatory said. The eruption continued into early Tuesday, Ima Itikarai of the observatory told AFP. An observatory report said there were "small ongoing eruptions" from the main crater early Tuesday. Lava was channelled into a nearby valley and "intermittent bursts" of volcanic rock falling on villages, adding to a heightened risk of mudflows, it added. (reference #12340)

The Rabaul Volcano Observatory's assistant director Ima Itikarai said the eruption started between 5 and 6am local time. The eruption came from Manam's southern crater said Mr Itikarai. He said while the observatory is monitoring the eruption remotely an eye-witness has confirmed plumes of ash and scoria, and a lava flow from the crater to the coast. Two villages on the south-east of the island were showered in scoria rocks of 2 centimetres in diameter Mr Itikarai said. (reference #12341)