Thousands of people are being evacuated in Papua New Guinea over the risk of a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific Island nation’s north.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said he had directed all relevant state resources to support the evacuation of people at risk on Kadovar Island in the East Sepik region.

He also warned northern coastal communities to be alert for possible tsunamis resulting from volcanic activity.

Mr O’Neill said: “Volcanoes are very unpredictable. We are hearing various reports that activity has been building up and we need to take all precautions to keep our people safe.

“We will not take risks with human lives. Let’s get people out of harm’s way now and constantly monitor the activity of the volcano.”

Flights in the area had been cancelled and shipping had been warned to stay away it was responding to the volcanic activity, he said.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp reported 3,000 people were being evacuated from Biem Island, seven miles west of Kadovar, where plumes of ash forced 700 people to evacuate in the past week.

Papua New Guinea sits on the “Pacific Ring of Fire” and experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.