A volcano in Alaska's Aleutian chain erupted on Saturday causing 10 people to flee the Umnak Island on a fishing vessel. The eruption sent a cloud of ash 35,000 feet (10.7 kilometres) into the air and sent rock and ash down on a cattle ranch on the remote island.

The fishing vessel Tara Gaila received an urgent call from the Coast Guard on Saturday night and then sailed to rescue the ten people who live on the eastern side of the island, officials said.

Okmok Volcano, which rises to 3,520 feet (1,073-metre) and is located about 65 miles (105 kilometers) southwest of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, a port with about 4,300 full-time residents.

The ten fleeing residents were brought by the Tara Gaila to Dutch Harbor, about 65 miles away. Fortunately, nobody was injured according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read.
The residents of the Dutch Harbor were showered with a light ashfall, according to Jennifer Adleman, a geologist with the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

"There have been reports of eye irritation and people being able to taste it, if you will. Some folks have seen it on their windshields," Adleman said.

Two flights into Unalaska/Dutch Harbor were reportedly canceled, officials said.

The Okmok Volcano is very active. It erupts 16 times every 10 to 20 years since 1805. The last eruption occurred in 1997.