UN sending environment, aid teams to Saint Vincent

UNITED NATIONS, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations is sending a panel of experts to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to help with the recovery after April 9 volcano eruption, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.

"A 13-person joint environment mission from the UN Environment Programme and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is deploying to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines," said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"The team, which should be deployed for three weeks, is made up of six environmental specialists, with expertise in geology, ash management, environmental pollution, ecology and green response," Dujarric said. "Other team members will assist with liaison, team management and logistics."

There are also plans to send experts to nearby Barbados, blanketed with ash from the 1,234 meter-high-La Soufriere volcano on Saint Vincent. They will work with the environmental-humanitarian team deployed to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

"The UN presence is growing gradually in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, but access remains difficult," the spokesman said. Support from military aircraft and sea-going vessels is required for transport.