Comoros islanders warned their volcano may erupt

MORONI, Comoros (Reuters) -- Inhabitants of Grande Comore, the main island of the Comoros group, were warned at the weekend that their island's volcano could soon erupt.

In messages read on state radio Sunday, the Comoros government warned islanders to be vigilant and to avoid the area round 2,400-meter (7,920-foot) Khartala, which last erupted in 1991.

Renewed seismic activity from Khartala was first detected a month ago, and has since increased. Last Monday 55 tremors were recorded, causing widespread alarm in nearby villages.

"We cannot rule out the possibility of an eruption," Soule Hamidou, technician in charge of the Khartala observatory, told Reuters.

The 1991 eruption was a small one, causing no significant damage. But the lava flow from the previous one in 1977 destroyed Singani village, 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of the capital, Moroni, cutting a main road.

Early last century the lava flow reached a residential area on the outskirts of Moroni.

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