Thousands evacuate after volcano erupts in Chile

Volcano Calbuco in southern Chile erupted for the first time in more than 50 years on Wednesday, sending a thick plume of ash and smoke 10 miles high. Spectacular photos and videos show a mushroom-shaped column billowing in the sky with occasional lightning bolts shooting through it. Chile’s emergency office declared a red alert following the sudden eruption at around 6 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET), which occurred south of Santiago near the tourist town of Puerto Varas. About 4,000 people have so far moved out of the area, an evacuation radius of 12 miles has been established, and classes have been canceled in surrounding towns, authorities said.

We left everything there. Grabbed my kid, my dog, got in the car with my wife.

Trevor Moffat, who fled when the volcano erupted

Winds blowing northeast were pushing the column of ash and smoke toward Argentina. LATAM Airlines said it has canceled flights to and from neighboring Puerto Montt, the area’s largest city, due to the presence of volcanic ash, which can damage aircraft and make flying dangerous. At the moment there are no reports of deaths, missing persons or injuries. President Michelle Bachelet traveled to the area on Thursday.

In this situation, with the eruption column so high, the main risk is that it collapses, falls due to gravity because of its own weight and causes a pyroclastic flow.

Gabriel Orozco, a vulcanologist with Chile’s geological and mining service

World