Thousands Evacuate After Explosive Volcano Eruption in Southern Chile

Thousands Evacuate After Explosive Volcano Eruption in Southern Chile
Fecha de publicación: 
3 March 2015
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The Villarrica volcano is located in southern Chile near the town of Villarrica.

Lava activity on the volcano intensified around 3 a.m. local time which led to an explosion of lava from the volcano, according to 24 Horas, a Chilean news station.

24 Horas also noted that lightning accompanied the volcano during the violent eruption.

The mayor of Pucon, Carlos Barra, has issued an evacuation of the area surrounding the Villarrica volcano.

"I ask people to remain calm. We are at the foot of the canyon making decisions," Barra said.

More than 3,000 people have been evacuated from the area, and a red alert has been issued, according to ABC.es news outlet.

The eruption was so large that it was able to be seen as far away as Temuco, Chile, according to Bio Bio Chile. This is a distance of nearly 100 km (62 miles).

The biggest impact from the volcano may be the volcanic ash that is carried by upper-level winds and carried across parts of South America.

"It looks as though whatever ash there is should pass well south of Buenos Aires and mostly across the more sparsely populated parts of Argentina," AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.

Residents and officials in the area should not have to deal with any unsettled weather over the next few days.

"The weather across the region looks pretty quiet through Wednesday with mostly sunny skies and light winds [at the surface]," Nicholls continued.

Those with interests in the area should monitor the volcano over the next several days for the possibility of future explosions such as the one that occurred early Tuesday morning.

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