Colombia’s Nevado del Huila Eruption Kills 12

Lahars and Avalanches triggered by Colombia’s Nevado del Huila eruption kill a dozen people

Nevado del Huila, at 5,365 metres, is the highest volcano in Colombia. Photo: Source. Image may be subject to copyright.

Colombia’s Nevado del Huila volcano erupted at 9:45 p.m. Thursday unleashing two avalanches and waves of lahars and mudslides down the River Paez killing at least a dozen people and destroying about 26 houses, a school, a football stadium and five bridges, the presidential office said. About a dozen others were injured and at least 9 people were reported missing.

Some 12,000 people living in the sparsely populated region, a reservation for Nasa indigenous communities area, about 240km south of Bogota, have been evacuated, the government said.

The worst affected area was reportedly near the town of Belalcázar, in the southwestern Cauca province.

Some 23,000 Colombians were killed when the nearby Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted In 1985 triggering lahars and mudslides in the country’s worst ever natural disaster known as the Armero tragedy.

Related Links:

• The aftermath of the volcano’s eruption (short video)
• 10 Dead in Eruption of Colombia Nevado del Huila Volcano