Plymouth, the Buried Capital
On a Caribbean island, the capital lies buried under volcanic ash. Its church steeples and rooftops poke out of the grey, and no one is allowed to live there.
What was reported
Plymouth was the capital and main town of Montserrat, a small British territory in the Caribbean. In 1995, the Soufrière Hills volcano, which had been quiet for centuries, began to erupt. The town was evacuated, and over the next years, flows of ash and hot gas buried it under metres of grey debris.
It's now a ghost town in an exclusion zone covering much of the south of the island. Only the tops of some buildings show above the ash.
Explanations offered
The volcano is still monitored closely by scientists. Montserrat's population fell sharply as many people left the island, and a new capital is being developed in the north. Plymouth remains the capital in name.
- When
- Abandoned in 1995–1997
- Where
- Plymouth, Montserrat
- Witnesses
- Former residents and scientists
- Status
- A real place
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.