Chile volcanic eruption seen at critical stage Posted on May 9th
from an erupting volcano in Chile’s remote Patagonia could rain
down on the surrounding area and cause devastating damage, a
volcano expert warned on Friday.
Luis Lara, a scientist with the government’s geology and
mining agency, said the column, which has soared 7.5 miles (12
km) into the air, was at a critical stage.
An abrupt descent would blanket vast areas with deadly hot
gas, ash and molten rock, he said.
Authorities have evacuated thousands of people from the
immediate vicinity of Chaiten volcano, 760 miles south of the
capital Santiago, and are forcing people within a 30-mile
(50-km) radius to leave.
Chaiten began erupting eight days ago for the first time in
thousands of years.
“We are at a critical point of this phase given the
characteristics (of the eruption) have remained the same for
several days,” Lara said.
“The volcano is now at its limit and one possibility is
that the column could collapse quickly, generating flows of …
material down its ravines,” he said.
The column might descend gradually and do little damage.
But in the worst-case scenario, the ash and fiery material
would engulf the town of Chaiten, just 6 miles from the
volcano, and the areas around it.
Lara said the volcano could rumble on for years and
suggested that the town, which is now deserted, be moved.
SOUTH ARGENTINA ALSO HIT HARD
The cloud has also caked towns on the Argentine side of the
border with ash. Satellite images show a white stripe smeared
across the southern part of the continent.
Ash that had drifted as far as Buenos Aires dissipated on
Friday, and some airlines that had canceled flights overnight
resumed service.
But towns in Argentine Patagonia were badly affected, with
residents complaining of sore throats due to ash inhalation and
being forced to pay exorbitant prices for bottled water because
ground water had been contaminated.
Views of dramatic Andean peaks that serve as a natural
border between the two countries were obscured by clouds of ash
in the Argentine settlement of Trevelin, a popular tourist spot
about 60 miles from the volcano.
Shop owners put wet cloths and cardboard on the doorsteps
as doormats to stop prospective customers from tracking ash
into their premises. But they were losing the battle.
Some residents wore masks, but many did not.
“We keep cleaning, but still everything gets dirty at the
same time. The dust and ash gets everywhere,” said a hotel
employee named Alejandra.
Back in Chile, many evacuees had no idea when they might be
able to return to their homes and lives, and their frustration
was mounting.
“We’ve been here so many days and no one tells us
anything,” said Iluminada Ide, who was evacuated to the
southern Chilean town of Puerto Montt. “We can’t go on like
this.”
(Additional reporting by Jorge Otaloa in Trevelin, Karina
Grazina in Buenos Aires)
(Writing by Simon Gardner; Editing by Xavier Briand)