The Chilean government ordered a total evacuation of residents around the Chaiten volcano on Tuesday when the volcano continued to spew lava and ash.
"The volcano is exploding so a total evacuation of the town of Chaiten has been ordered," President Michelle Bachelet, who visited the Chaiten area Monday, was quoted by local media as saying.
Interior Minister Edmundo Perez said anyone still in the area should "urgently head to ships in the bay to be evacuated." According to earlier reports, some 4,000 people have been evacuated since the eruption started on Friday.
The volcano, located 10 km from the city of Chaiten, is small and not expected to produce huge eruptions, but possible eruptions at any time pose a deadly threat due to the volcano's proximity to the city.
The eruption, first in thousands of years, has spewed thick layer of lava and ash that have coated the surrounding area and have even reached into neighboring Argentina. Volcanologists worry the nearby towns could be buried like the Roman city of Pompeii.
Source:Xinhua
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