MANY flights were cancelled yesterday as a volcano on Montserrat plunged surrounding islands in the Caribbean into a gritty haze.

The tiny territory of Montserrat has warned that a busy hurricane season could spark a disaster by toppling a volcano’s dome and unleashing a torrent of ash and lava on nearby communities.

A volcanic eruption on the Caribbean island of Montserrat spewed clouds of ash as far away as Puerto Rico, causing airlines to cancel flights to and from the US territory.