Chile: Volcano activity prompts mass evacuation

Volcanic Activity prompts Mass Evacuation

Thousands of people in the Patagonian community of Chaiten have been evacuated a day after a volcano spewed smoke and ash, its first eruption in about 10,000 years.

A large column of smoke and ash belches from the “dormant” Chaiten volcano after it erupted south of Santiago. (Credit: Shanghai Daily)

The Patagonian township of Chaiten covered in thick-ash, resembled a ghost town on Saturday after thousands of its inhabitants fled the region.

Chaiten volcano, about 1,220 km (760 miles) south of Santiago, Chile, spewed a vast cloud of smoke and ash May 2, 2008, triggering earth tremors which prompted the evacuation of people in the area. (Photo: REUTERS/ONEMI/Handout )

The snow covered 1,200-meter Chaiten volcano spewed a combination of smoke, ash and fire Thursday night, causing small tremors in the Los Lagos region, about 1,200 kilometers south of Santiago.

Chilean government declared a state of emergency, evacuating the residents from nearby villages and the township of Chaiten,which is situated about 10 kilometers from the volcano.

The falling ash is polluting the water supplies and making breathing difficult prompting the authoruities to hand out about 10,000 protective masks.

The Chaiten volcano has “probably been dormant for about 9,000 or 10,000 years but that’s not unusual,” according to a professor of volcanology at the University of Colorado who specializes in the Andes volcanoes.

“I would really worry about the village of Chaiten. I think they would want to get everybody out of there really soon,” he said.

“In southern Peru, the Ubinas volcano shot out gases and ash twice on Friday, covering local homes and crops. There were no immediate reports of injuries.” (Source: Shanghai Daily )

Related links:

• Volcano gets active, region is evacuated
• Thousands evacuated as Chile volcano spews ash
• Will one or both of New Zealand islands break up and sink in the south-western Pacific Ocean?

.-.