Evacuation ordered as Chile volcano erupts

By Simon Gardner

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's Llaima volcano, one of the most active in South America, spewed out a river of lava more than 1,100 yards (1,000 metres) long on Saturday in a fresh eruption, prompting officials to order dozens of people to evacuate.

Llaima, which lies in Chile's picturesque lake region about 435 miles (700 km) south of the capital Santiago, erupted on January 1, 2008, and has belched rock and ash sporadically since then.

The lava and hot gases from the latest eruption are melting snow on the sides of the volcano, and authorities say some towns are in danger of being hit by mudslides.

"We are going to start the evacuation of some people who live in sectors that are particularly vulnerable to the risk of ... avalanches of mud due to melting snow," Johaziel Jamett, head of the early warning centre at the National Emergency Office, told Reuters.

"It is a spread-out population. We are talking about a few dozen people, not a massive evacuation," he said.

Twelve people have been evacuated from the Conguillio national park surrounding Llaima, including two tourists. Police have closed the park, and troops have been dispatched to the area, the emergency office said.

MINIMAL DAMAGE

It said an ash-swollen river near the volcano had swept away a pedestrian bridge, but there was no other damage. Bright red bursts of lava were visible in the night sky as Llaima erupted.