Middle East News
Eight military troops missing after Yemen volcano erupts (1st Lead)
Oct 1, 2007, 8:37 GMT
A handout photograph provided by the Canadian Defence Ministry on 01 October 2007 shows Lava flowing and clouds of smoke and ash reaching skyward after a volcanic eruption on the island of Jazirt Atta-Ir in the Red Sea, 70 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen 30 September 2007. EPA/MASTER CORPORAL KEVIN PAUL
Sana'a, Yemen - Eight military troops were missing after a volcano on a three-kilometre-long island in the Red Sea started to spew lava and ash, the state news agency reported on Monday.
Navy ships were sent late on Sunday to evacuate the troops stationed on Jabal al-Tair (Bird's Mountain), an unpopulated island located about 100 kilometres from the port city of Houdieda in western Yemen, it said.
Minister of Oil and Minerals Khaled Bahah told the news agency that the 'increasing' volcanic activity in the island was first registered on Friday after a mild quake measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of the mountainous island.
The agency said eight army troopers were missing in a landslide that was triggered by the earthquake.
The minister did not rule out an eruption from the island's highest mountain at 1,200 metres.
He said it remained 'unclear' whether an eruption would occur.
Seismologists said the island sits on a fault line in the southern part of the Red Sea.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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