View in eastern direction. Plymouth, the capital of Montserrat, was permanently evacuated in 1996 after the nearby Soufrière Hills Volcano (right background of the image) had reactivated. Later on the ghost town was struck by pyroclastic flows, and its centre was almost completely buried by material relocated from the upper slopes through lahars. The suburb of Town Hill can still be seen near the right edge of the picture. It remains an exclusion zone, as does the entire southern portion of the island.