KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (AP) — Leaders of volcano-wracked St. Vincent say that water is running short as heavy ash contaminates supplies and they estimated that the eastern Caribbean island will need hundreds of millions of dollars to recover from the eruption of La Soufriere. Between 16,000 to 20,000 people have been evacuated from the island’s northern region, where the exploding volcano is located. More than 3,000 of them staying at more than 80 government shelters. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said Tuesday no casualties have been reported, but he urged holdouts to evacuate. Falling ash and pyroclastic flows have destroyed crops and contaminated water reservoirs.
