Hudson Volcano erupts after 20 years in Chile

World

Hudson Volcano erupts after 20 years in Chile

Close

Southern Chile has been put on red alert over increased activity of Hudson Volcano.

27 October,2011 01:59 pm

Chile said on Wednesday it was evacuating residents from around a volcano in the countrys far south after it spewed a jet of steam a kilometre into the air and seismic activity triggered an avalanche.Interior minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter said it was a code-red emergency.The Hudson volcano, which lies around 1,000 miles (1,600 km) south of the Chilean capital Santiago, last erupted in 1991, melting part of the glacier that sits on the crater and triggering mud flows.Hinzpeter said at the moment it did not pose a threat to area residents, but it could reach areas populated by people soon.The alert comes in the wake of a string of eruptions at other volcanoes in Chile.In June, a volcano in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain belched an ash cloud that blew over the Andes, carpeted a popular ski resort in neighbouring Argentina and caused havoc for air traffic for months.Chiles chain of about 2,000 volcanoes is the worlds second largest after that of Indonesia. Some 50 to 60 are on record as having erupted, and 500 are potentially active.