Evacuations as volcano erupts
2008-05-03 08:40
Santiago - Some 1 500 people were evacuated late on Friday as the Chaiten volcano in southern Chile erupted, hurling hot rocks and belching clouds of ash into the sky.
The thick clouds of ash that covered the region also spread to towns in the southern Argentine province of Chubut, where authorities closed schools and issued warnings due to low visibility on some roads.
Yet despite the fireworks at the volcano, located some 1 300km south of Santiago, there were no reports of casualties or damage, Chile's Office of National Emergencies reported.
Interior Edmundo Perez Yoma and Defence Minister Jose Goni travelled to the zone affected by the eruption, and the government of President Michelle Bachelet sent emergency supplies, including protective masks.
The volcano is located about 10km from a town of the same name which has a population of some 7 000. The snow-capped volcano is about 1 000 metres high.
The people being evacuated were mainly the elderly, pregnant woman and infants, the emergency office said.