This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Chile’s Calbuco volcano erupted again on Thursday, sending dark bursts of ash and hot rock billowing 2.5 miles (4km) into the air and prompting officials to order a new evacuation of nearby residents.



Chile cleans up after Calbuco volcano eruption - in pictures Read more

Thick clouds boiled out of 6,500-foot (2,000-meter) cone, bringing the threat of new, heavy ash fall over villagers struggling to clean up from two huge blasts last week.

The area was evacuated after the volcano first erupted last Wednesday afternoon, but many people had begun to return to their ash-drowned homes.

The eruptions at Calbuco are the first in more than four decades. About 4,500 people have been evacuated since the volcano roared back to life on 22 April, sending ash about 11 miles (18km) into the sky.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A thick plume pours from the Calbuco volcano near Puerto Montt, Chile, on Thursday. Photograph: Francisco Negroni/AP

The ash spread across the southern part of the continent, disrupting flights in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires.

“This latest eruption is much smaller than the other two,” deputy interior minister Mahmud Aleuy said in a press conference, adding that while the situation is not dangerous so far, some 2,500 people will be evacuated.

“We’re talking about a plume that is about 4km and that is directed toward the southern part of the volcano, so we shouldn’t have major problems except for those who live in the south of the volcano and who will be hit by ash.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Vehicles travel along a road as smoke and ash rise from the Calbuco volcano as seen from Puerto Varas, Chile. Photograph: Reuters

The director of the National Mining and Geology service said that new eruptions greater than those last week are not expected. But he warned that rains could lead to devastating volcanic mud, known as lahars, which are capable of leveling anything in their path once in motion.

“Lahars are possible if we get heavy rains, so it’s still a concern,” said Rodrigo Alvarez, the head of the service. “This eruption should begin to lessen in the coming hours and we’ll have new forecasts. For now we remain on high alert.”

Residents are bracing for rain forecast to fall on Friday.