Vanuatu authorities have warned ships and planes to avoid the area around an underwater volcano that erupted Wednesday.
Locals on the nearby islands of Epi and Tongoa have been told to avoid the 10-kilometer “danger zone” established around the submerged East Epi volcano, which lies 68 kilometers north of the capital Port Vila.
Steam over the site was followed by ash rising up to 100 meters high early Wednesday, according to reports.
Volcanic activity started shortly before 8 a.m. (2100 GMT Tuesday), according to the local meteorology department.
Eyewitness Philip Dick, a government official, told AFP he smelled sulphur within the nearby villages when the explosions began.
The department also warned people that the eruptions could trigger a tsunami.