Volcano forces more evacuations
ARICA, Chile — A volcano in southern Chile erupted early Thursday for a second time in two days, spreading ash over a wide area and forcing the evacuation of several surrounding towns.
The 6,200-foot Calbuco volcano, about 650 miles south of the capital, Santiago, erupted Wednesday afternoon and then again early Thursday after being inactive since 1972. The volcano was still spewing ash late Thursday.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries. A hiker identified as Waldo Flores Figueroa was missing overnight but found Thursday, the Chilean Interior Ministry said. He was taken to a hospital for observation.
Surrounding towns were covered with a carpet of ash several inches thick Thursday morning after gritty volcanic material was spewed nonstop from the mountain.
Some residents were pleading with police Thursday morning to be allowed back to their homes, but were denied permission, news reports said.
All towns within a 13-mile radius of the volcano were declared “exclusion zones” and an estimated 5,000 residents were evacuated. A red alert for “threats to the population” was declared by the Chilean government for the cities of Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. Armed forces were sent to the zone to keep order and guard against looting.
President Michelle Bachelet, who was scheduled to visit the zone Thursday, declared a state of emergency and warned that the volcano could soon emit lava. That could melt snowpacks and increase the threat of landslides and flooding. Schools were closed.
A joint statement issued Thursday by the National Geologic and Mining Service and the Southern Andes Vulcanology Observatory recommended that the evacuations remain in force.
Calbuco, about 65 miles from Chile’s border with Argentina, was also affecting the Argentine resort city of Bariloche, where volcanic ash was falling. The ash was being analyzed to determine whether it posed a threat to drinking water. Volcanic ash can contain heavy metals and toxic substances.
In 2008, an eruption of the Chaiten volcano in Chile’s Palena province caused evacuations and sent ash as far as Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital, more than 900 miles to the northeast. Special correspondents D’Alessandro reported from Buenos Aires and Kraul from Arica. Times staff writer Christine Mai-Duc in Los Angeles contributed to this report.