A City Destroyed By Volcano

One fateful day a pleasant city nestled beneath a dormant volcano was completely destroyed when the volatile peak rumbled to life. Sound familiar? Everyone knows the story of Pompeii in Italy, destroyed in AD 79 by Mount Vesuvius. But this was the city of Plymouth, Monserrat. The year: 1995.

The good life along the shores of the Caribbean Sea came to an end on July 18, 1995. On that fateful day, Soufriere Hills volcano "which had lain dormant thoughout recorded history" exploded in an eruption of titanic proportions that consumed Plymouth under 12 metres of mud and rendered the southern half of Montserrat uninhabitable. With that in mind, the pictures really do speak for themselves!

The eruption led more than half the population of Montserrat to flee abroad due to lack of housing and economic disruption. In 1997, 19 people died after being overtaken by a pyroclastic flow following another eruption. Since then, the volcano's activities have been confined to venting ash into the unihabited southern region. But this occasionally spreads to northern settlements. Buried cars and houses visible on by their roofs are a common site today amid the ruins of Plymouth

Some images depicts the fateful day in AD 79 when Mount Vesuvius near Pompeii erupted. The result: an ancient city completely destroyed, buried by more than 60 feet of ash and pumice and lost to civilisation for more than 1,500 years. Now, after its accidental discovery in 1592, Pompeii has become a world heritage site, excavated by archeologists to reveal many of the treasures of this ancient Roman city. This photo essay shows Pompeii as it is today, with Vesuvius lurking menacingly in the background