Volcano Erupts Off Yemen Killing Four Soldiers

October 1, 2007 5:51 a.m. EST

Hodeida, Yemen (AHN) - A volcano erupted on an island off the coast of Yemen Sunday night burning at least four Yemen soldiers to death.

Eruptions continued Monday but haven't slowed shipping down in the area, the volcano is near a major shipping lane some 85 miles from Yemen, which is located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

The volcano on the Red Sea Island of Jabal al-Tair erupted belching soot and lava into the air that was witnessed by a NATO fleet sailing to the Suez Canal.

"Four of our comrades have died, burned by the lava," one soldier told Agency France Press on Monday. The soldier was among those evacuated from the island to the port city of Hodeida, 60 miles away from Jabal al-Tair.

A Canadian naval vessel stationed with NATO in the area was among the ships asked by Yemen to join the search for the missing, the Associated Press reported Monday morning.

No one is sure how many people are missing. The island contains a military garrison that is used for naval control and observation because of the large number of cargo ships that pass by, the AP reports.

Navy spokesman Ken Allan calling the volcano "catastrophic," told CNN news that there was still lava pouring from the island.

"The northern side seems to be completely devastated," Allan said. "The southern side seems to be OK, but the northern side is just nothing but red molten lava."