Ash-spewing Chilean volcano forces more evacuations
SANTIAGO (AFP) — A volcano that sprung to life three days ago with non-stop emissions of ash has led to the evacuation of a second town in southern Chile, after it emptied Chaiten of its 4,000 inhabitants, officials said Monday.
"The Chaiten volcano is still active, emitting ash. The direction of the plume is toward Futaleufu, where it has heaped up 30 centimeters (12 inches) of ash," the National Emergency Office said in a statement.
The 1,000-meter (3,280-foot) volcano some 1,300 kilometers (808 miles) south of Santiago, began erupting Saturday and has since forced the evacuation of all but a few of Chaiten's 4,000 inhabitants.
Chaiten lies some 10 kilometers (six miles) from the volcano, while Futaleufu and its 1,800 residents are 70 kilometers (64 miles) to the east, near the border with Argentina.
"Right now, everything is grey," said Futaleufu Mayor Arturo Carvallo. "We've got a huge layer of ash that a passing rain has turned into cement-hard."
President Michelle Bachelet, who on Sunday visited Chaiten, on Monday was in Futaleufu, together with several cabinet members, to supervise the evacuation.
"People at greater risk, elederly people, children, pregnant women and whoever wants to leave voluntarily ... can go to Osorno, where we've set up shelters," Bachelet told the local population.
She said more transportation would be arriving on Tuesday to complete the evacuation, which was still on a voluntary basis.
Bachelet said that once the emergency has subsided, "we'll provide support to put the area's livestock, farming and tourism sectors solidly back on their feet."
Such an optimistic scenario, however, was not in the cards for Chaiten's inhabitants, who on Sunday were told there was no timetable for their return, since nobody knows when the long-dormant volcano will stop erupting.
National Geologic and Mining Service vulcanologist Luis Lara told reporters the Chaiten eruption was of a most dangerous kind and could last for months on end.
Wind-blown ash has traveled hundreds of kilometers (miles) as far as Argentina's Chubut province, where town authorities have issued health emergencies, closing down schools, airports and main roads, and have distributed drinking water to some areas.
While no injuries have been reported from the eruption and ash emissions, Radio Cooperativa said a 92-year-old woman died apparently from cardio-respiratory problems during the evacuation of Chaiten on Saturday.
