Chile’s Hudson Volcano Forces Evacuations; Region on Red Alert

International Business Times: Chile’s Hudson Volcano Forces Evacuations; Region on Red Alert
Chile's Hudson Volcano is rumbling and the government has issued a red alert, ordering the evacuation of all residents living within 25 miles.

The red alert includes the Chilean cities of Aysen, Rio Ibanez and Chile Chinco. So far, 115 people have been evacuated and the government is working to contact 10 workers in the area near Lago Caro.

Rodrigo Ubilla, the minister of the interior, reported new volcanic activity in the area Thursday morning and declared the next 12 hours crucial in determining the extent of the emergency. Officials are preparing for an imminent major eruption.

Concerns arose after the Hudson Volcano blasted steam nearly a mile skyward on Tuesday. The eruption's seismic activity triggered an avalanche in the area, though there were no reports of injuries or damage.

Wednesday's measures come in the wake of a Preventative Early Warning issued on June 14.

The Hudson Volcano lies 995 miles south of the Chilean capital, Santiago. It last erupted in 1991, causing millions of dollars in damages to local farms, killing an estimated 1.5 million sheep. The eruption melted part of the glacier that sits on the crater and triggered massive mud flows.

Hudson experienced moderate eruptions in 1891 and 1971, followed by the "colossal" eruption in 1991. That eruption reached 5 on the 8-step Volcanic Explosivity Index and was Chile's second largest in the 20th century.

Volcanic eruptions at the 6,250-foot volcano are characterized by eruptive columns several miles high that could affect localities near the remote volcano, according to the National Office of Emergency of Chile's Interior Ministry (ONEMI).

Chile's chain of roughly 3,000 volcanoes along the Pacific "Ring of Fire" is the second largest in the world after Indonesia. Some 500 are said to be potentially active and precautionary evacuations in the nation are not uncommon.

In June, Chile's Puyehue volcano erupted after being dormant for decades, grounding flights from Buenos Aires to Sydney. The travel delays lasted for weeks and the airline industry suffered a major drop in profits.