Perilous Times
16 January 2012 Last updated at 16:50 ET
Chile: Volcanic eruption closes airports, thousands
of people had to be evacuated from the area
A cloud of ash caused by a volcano in Chile has closed airports in
neighbouring Argentina just days after it had re-opened.
The closure of the airport in Bariloche comes three days after
flights had resumed following a seven-month suspension due to the
ash.
The re-opening had been welcomed by local media with triumphant
headlines.
Bariloche and nearby towns have seen visitor numbers drop sharply
since the Puyehue volcano erupted in June.
At the time, airports as far away as in Melbourne, Australia, were
forced to close.
Airlines cancelled all flights flying in and out of Bariloche, in
Patagonia, on Monday.
Economic loss
Commercial flights to Bariloche had resumed on Friday for the
first time since the Puyehue volcano erupted on 5 June 2011.
Local newspaper El Cordillerano headlined the story with one word:
"Hallelujah".
Bariloche, and nearby Villa la Angostura and San Martin de los
Andes are popular destinations for people wanting to ski in
winter, and go trekking and fishing in summer.
But the lack of flights has badly hit the tourism industry in the
area.
Chilean airline LAN had said on Thursday that flights schedules
would depend on the density of ash from the volcano, and whether
the wind would blow it towards Bariloche.