With only a handful of islanders joining the British evacuation of Montserrat amid continued eruptions, organisers privately admitted yesterday that the operation was a "farce."
As the British minister responsible for the evacuation was effectively sidelined in London, officials in Montserrat said that since Saturday just 22 of the 5,000 residents still on the Caribbean island had taken up an offer of a free ferry to neighbouring Antigua.
Their numbers have been dwarfed by British consultants, Montserrat immigration officials, and the 250-strong crew of the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Liverpool, who have been drafted in to run the operation.
One worker said that on Saturday, the first day of the evacuation, it had taken up to seven hours to process the 11 evacuees when they reached Antigua as their Caribbean neighbours organised a reception complete with steel band.
"Any of them with any sense would take the normal ferry," the worker said. "We're calling it the great Montserrat farce."
In an effort to increase numbers, organisers dropped a requirement for evacuee registration allowing a "free for all" as long as residents had the necessary documentation to travel. But organisers and Royal Navy personnel said they did not expect numbers to rise significantly.
A senior navy officer said: "I can't see many leaving for the rest of the week."
Adding that the voluntary evacuation scheme was costing "a fortune," he said: "There is no way we can justify it, if it carries on like this. There's more people leaving on the commercial ferry than our free one."
As the operation continued, the British government announced a new inter-departmental task force to co-ordinate its response to the Soufriere Hill volcano.
The new body, made up of officials from the Home Office, Foreign Office, the Defence Department, the Treasury and the Bank of England, as well as Ms Clare Short's International Development Department, has effectively sidelined Ms Short.
Under the evacuation plan, Montserratians can stay in Antigua for three weeks before deciding their eventual destination.
The Antiguan authorities say they cannot accept any more than the 3,000 Montserratians already there, except in the short term.