About 150 people were evacuated as the Llaima volcano in
southern Chile erupted on Tuesday, but no casualties or damage were
reported.
Smoke rises from the
Llaima volcano, located some 850 km (528 miles) south of Santiago,
Jan. 1, 2008. The Llaima volcano in southern Chile erupted on
Tuesday, sending a huge plume of smoke into the air, but there were
no reports of damages or injuries, emergency officials
said.
Eyewitnesses saw thick smoke and lava emerging from Liaima, one
of the most active of the dozens of volcanos in Chile.
The 3,125-meter volcano, located inside the Conguillio National
Park in the Araucania region, began spurting lava and ash in the
afternoon, the National Emergency Office told journalists.
Those evacuated were tourists and National Forest Service
employees, officials said.
More people from the nearby villages and towns would be
evacuated if necessary, officials said.
An "early alert" was declared around the volcano, which is
located some 650 kilometers south of Santiago.
The volcano, which last erupted in May, has frequent moderate
eruptions.
(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2008)
