Chile began a new round of evacuations on Monday as the Chaiten volcano continued to spew ash into the sky for a fourth day and even sent sooty emissions into neighboring Argentina.
Preparations were underway to evacuate the 800 residents of the mountain village of Futaleufu near Chile's border with Argentina, said Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who paid a visit to the eruption-hit region on Monday after being unable to land on Sunday due to the dense toxic cloud emitted by the volcano.
Vowing to give cash subsidies, food, shelter and medical care to the evacuees, she praised the 4,000 residents evacuated from the city of Chaiten earlier for their orderly actions.
She said as it is not known for the time being how the volcano will behave, whether it will continue to spew ash or whether lava will appear, "we have taken the precautionary measure, which is early evacuation."
Local media reported that a 92-year-old woman died of a heart attack as she was evacuated from Chaiten on Sunday.
The volcano erupted on Friday after no previous records of eruptions for thousands of years, spewing a thick layer of ash that has polluted the air and water supply.
It also covered animal fodder, which put at risk the feeding of some 10,000 animals.
Minister of Agriculture Marigen Hornkohl said the government will take measures to aid the animal owners.
The eruption also affected Argentina's Patagonia region, where some areas have also been showered with ash and some schools were closed.
Chile has the world's second most active string of volcanoes after Indonesia.
Source:Xinhua
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