Montserrat Officials Urge Aid for Remaining Residents

The evacuation of this Caribbean island continued at a trickle Monday as government officials urged Britain to do more for those who want to stay in the volcano-ravaged colony.

A group of families boarded a ferry for neighboring Antigua on Monday. Only a few dozen refugees left the island over the weekend.

Antigua, where hundreds of Montserrat residents have taken refuge from the volcano, warned Britain that it could not accept more refugees except on a “very short-term basis.”

Of the approximately 4,000 people still in Montserrat, only about 800 have signed up for the evacuation program and most were in no hurry to leave, government spokesman Herman Sargeant said. “I don’t think we expect any mass exodus of people at all,” he said.

He said many were postponing a decision until it was clear whether Britain would make good on its promise to develop the northern third of the island, the safety zone to which most residents have fled.

Britain has pledged $65 million of aid and has begun making infrastructure improvements in northern Montserrat, including construction of 250 homes.

The Soufriere Hills volcano has been spitting up bursts of ash and rock about every 12 hours. It showered ash and rubble onto the outskirts of Plymouth, the abandoned capital, early Monday.