The government yesterday decided to evacuate the whole population of Ambae, as the island's volcano continues to erupt.
More than 7000 people are already crammed into coastal evacuation centres, as a thick layer of volcanic ash and acid rain blankets villages and crops.
The disaster coordinator on Ambae Manuel Ure said authorities were hoping to clear the whole island - more than 11,000 people - this weekend.
The evacuees will be scattered around the nearby islands of Santo, Pentecost, Malekula and Maewo, he said.