Evacuations as volcano erupts

2008-11-21 14:04

Bogota - Colombia's highest active volcano erupted late on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of nearby settlers, the government and the Institute of Geology and Mining (Ingeominas) said.

"There is an eruption that is showing signs of diminishing at this moment," Marta Calvache, director of the Ingeominas Vulcanology Observatory, said on radio Caracol.

No casualties have been reported from the eruption of the snow-capped Huila volcano.

Calvache said the volcanic activity prompted mud flows along the Paez river near the town of Belalcazar, where a red alert was declared and an evacuation order was issued.

"It is a preventive measure," Calvache said of the evacuations.

Emergency management officials said local authorities were given an order to move residents living near the volcano to temporary shelters, while communities in Cauca and Huila departments have been placed on alert.

Huila, 240km southwest of Bogota, last erupted on April 14, forcing about 3 500 people to evacuate.

At 5 364m, Huila is among the highest peaks in the Andean Central Cordillera, in a region that is home to mainly indigenous communities.

- AFP