00:45 Mass Evacuations Called for on Ambae Island in South Pacific Officials of Vanuatu are calling for evacuations of the island of Ambae in the South Pacific as the eruption of a volcano intensifies.

At a Glance Officials are attempting to evacuate all 11,000 residents from Vanuatu's Ambae Island as a volcano erupts.

Flooding and mudslides from recent rainfall have made the evacuations more challenging.

Residents have experienced respiratory problems as the volcano spewed smoke and ash.

Volcanic eruptions on Vanuatu's Ambae Island have forced officials to order a mass evacuation, and weather conditions haven't cooperated in recent days.

The archipelago nation east of Australia is attempting to evacuate all 11,000 people who live on Ambae Island to nearby Santo Island because of ongoing eruptions at the Manaro volcano , according to the Guardian. A state of emergency was declared and many people began having respiratory problems as the smoke and ash from the eruption filled the air, the report added.

Evacuations were even more difficult because of heavy rain that triggered flooding and mudslides, the Guardian also said. Vanuatu's leaders are also keeping an eye on several other volcanoes rumbling on islands near Ambae , Radio New Zealand reported.

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"It is really challenging for the affected community, it is their home and all they know, they’ve been there for their entire life," Cate Heinrich, UNICEF Pacific's chief of communications, told the Guardian. "At the moment, our priority is helping women and children who have been affected, making sure children have safe spaces and helping them begin to process and understand what is happening to their home, using techniques like drawing."

The cost of the evacuation is estimated to be $1.8 million , according to a separate Radio New Zealand report.

Santo Island officials agreed to house the evacuees after a reconciliation ceremony last Thursday; Ambae Island evacuees reportedly were critical of Santo in social media posts following a separate evacuation last year, which soured relations between the two islands , the Vanuatu Daily Post reported.