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Volcano shoots steam, gas

AMBAE ISLAND (Vanuatu): When Vanuatu's Mt. Manaro began dumping ash on the cabbages he grows in his shack's garden on the volcano's slopes, Markson Mala knew it was time to head downhill. He and the other 100 residents of Wainasasa, on the northern flank of the volcano that towers over this remote South Pacific island boarded trucks and fled to lower ground on December 2. ``Everything is left behind. We brought only clothing, pots and bush knives for cutting fuel,'' said Mr. Mala, a 54-year-old retired teacher. He said ash rained down on villagers' gardens, forcing them to wash all their food. Villagers on the island live in huts made of palm fronds and sheets of tin and grow their own vegetables. Mt. Manaro began erupting on November 27 and on Thursday it pumped clouds of steam and toxic gases 3,000 metres into the skies over Ambae Island.

AP

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