A YELLOWSTONE volcano eruption could kill scores of people, rock economies, disrupt air travel and even threaten peace as the world is unprepared for the next major volcanic blast, scientists have warned. A team of volcanologists said the next major eruption could very well happen in our lifetimes, and urged governments to start making emergency plans.

In a paper published in Geosphere, authors wrote: “A VEI-7 eruption could destabilise financial centres, air travel, national economies and even peace between nations.” A city could be decimated if a VEI-7 hit, as hot gases, lava and ash can travel 60 miles from the volcano, researchers said. The study said: “Any town or city in the path would be destroyed, and death tolls could reach millions unless mass evacuations had been made.”