Chile volcano erupts, villages evacuated
Pastor Dale Morgan
Chile volcano erupts, villages evacuated*
By EDUARDO GALLARDO,
Associated Press Writer
SANTIAGO, Chile - Authorities evacuated hundreds of people from villages
in southern Chile Friday after a snowcapped volcano considered dormant
for thousands of years erupted. The blast sent minor earthquakes
rippling through the region.
The 1,200-meter (3,550-foot) Chaiten volcano belched fire and ash
Thursday night, causing more than 60 small tremors in the Los Lagos
region, 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) south of the capital, Santiago, the
government's Emergency Bureau said.
Mild seismic activity could continue for the next several days, said
bureau director Carmen Fernandez.
Chile's government declared a state of emergency, evacuating as many as
1,500 people from nearby villages and the town of Chaiten, just over 6
miles (10 kilometers) from the volcano, the bureau said.
The amount of ash falling in Chaiten had dropped considerably by Friday
afternoon, and the wind was moving it southeast, Emergency Bureau
volcanologist Juan Cayupi told the Associated Press by telephone there.
Ash from the eruption was polluting water supplies and prompting
officials to hand out more than 10,000 protective masks, said Interior
Minister Edmundo Perez.
Winds also carried ash over the Andes mountains to neighboring
Argentina, where the Education Ministry suspended classes in several
towns, including Esquel and Trevelin _ two popular Patagonian tourist
destinations.
Authorities there declared a state of alert on two major highways as
falling ash reduced visibility.
The Chaiten volcano has "probably been dormant for about 9,000 or 10,000
years but that's not unusual," said Charles Stern, a professor of
volcanology at the University of Colorado who specializes in Andes
volcanoes.
Stern, who has studied Chaiten specifically, said it is still considered
"a potentially active volcano."
Chaiten last had "an explosive eruption that generated a very big ash
cloud," he added. "I would really worry about the village of Chaiten. I
think they would want to get everybody out of there really soon."
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.
The eruptions shot ash up to 1,600 feet (500 meters) into the air, said
Santos Alvarez, an official from the town of Ubinas.
Ubinas is located in the province of Moquegua, a 500 miles (800
kilometers) southeast of Lima. An eruption in April 2006 forced the
temporary evacuation of nearby villagers.