Photographs of the NW Bluff sinkhole from the helicopter on 9 August 2017 (top) and 17 February 2016 (bottom). The photos are not taken from exactly the same location but are approximately the same scale, as can be seen from comparing the locations of bushes and rocks around it. Photos: Adam Stinton/MVO.

Sinkhole Has Grown – Public Asked to Stay Away

Photographs of the NW Bluff sinkhole from the helicopter on 9 August 2017 (top) and 17 February 2016 (bottom). The photos are not taken from exactly the same location but are approximately the same scale, as can be seen from comparing the locations of bushes and rocks around it. Photos: Adam Stinton/MVO.

The sinkhole at North West Bluff on the north coast of Montserrat has grown larger.

According to the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO), the hole was examined from the helicopter on 9 August. It is now approximately ten metres across, compared to five metres in February 2016.

“The enlargement appears to be restricted to the upper part of the sinkhole which indicates that the collapse has been from the surface and not from below. The public is reminded to avoid this area.”