View in eastern direction. Plymouth, the capital of Montserrat, was permanently evacuated in 1996 after the nearby Soufrière Hills Volcano had reactivated. Later on the ghost town was struck by pyroclastic flows, and almost completely buried by material relocated from the upper slopes through lahars. By 2019, the centre of Plymouth has completely disappeared except for some few large buildings. The entire southern portion of the island remains an exclusion zone.