Karthala eruption fears cool

Concerns are growing for the safety of residents and travellers in the Indian Ocean, despite the fact that one of the world's most active volcanoes is now not expected to erupt.

Lava has been welling up inside the crater of Mount Karthala on the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean and, while a major eruption now looks unlikely, the lava still poses a serious risk to those on the island.

On average, the volcano has erupted once every 11 years for the past two centuries and islanders had hoped that an eruption in April last year would be the last for some time.

However, experts are warning that the mountain is becoming a "boiling pot", in the words of Piet Paxton, a spokesperson for the African Union Mission for Support to the Elections in the Comoros.

Speaking to IRIN, Mr Paxton explained that the current situation could result in the lava draining and coming into contact with ground water, which would trigger an explosion and the throwing up of volcanic rock and ash into the skies above the island.