Large-scale evacuation ordered as Vanuatu volcano threatens to erupt

More than 6000 people were moved to emergency shelters on Vanuatu's northern island Ambae in the South Pacific as a volcano threatens to erupt.

The volcano, known as Monaro, stirred earlier this month but intensified over the weekend to begin emitting ash and volcanic gas, triggering fears of an imminent eruption, Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office said.

Vanuatu, a sprawling cluster of more than 80 islands and 260,000 people, is on the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire and its Tana island active volcano is a major tourist attraction.

Authorities have set up 15 emergency sites, but the large-scale evacuation was straining supplies, National Disaster Management Office said.

The last time the Ambae volcano erupted was in 2005.

Vanuatu is one of the world's poorest nations, where locals are almost entirely reliant on food grown in their garden to survive, aid workers said.