Antigua warns of emissions from Montserrat volcano

Shifting winds are blowing sulfurous winds from the Montserrat volcano across the nearby island of Antigua in the eastern Caribbean, prompting authorities there to urge precautions.

Antigua's National Office of Disaster Services is warning those with asthma and allergies to stay indoors. Antigua is about 34 miles (55 kilometers) northeast of Montserrat's Soufriere Hills volcano. Friday's report from Montserrat's government volcano observatory says activity has been relatively low, but the volcano was emitting an average of 368 tons of sulfur dioxide a day over the past week.

Soufriere Hills saw a sizable eruption in 1997 that killed 19 people and buried much of the British territory in ash. As a result, about half the island's 12,000 inhabitants left.