MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Growing fears of a major eruption from the Chaiten volcano

Chilean authorities declared on Tuesday a maximum alert and ordered the complete evacuation of two towns after the Chaiten volcano, erupting nearby, increased its activity, spewing out lava and ash.

Chaiten volcano in the southern Patagonia region, 1.200 kilometers from Santiago, began erupting on Friday for the first time in 450 years. Ash from the volcano has also caused disruption in neighboring Argentina where several towns in the province of Chubut are blanketed. Airports as far distant as Trelew, Bariloche and Comodoro Rivadavia have virtually no traffic since companies refuse to fly fearing for the aircrafts. Sitting on the edge of the South American and Nazca tectonic plates, Chile is second only to Indonesia as the most volcanically-active regions on Earth. More than 5,000 people left the town of Chaiten, 10 kilometers from the volcano, after the initial morning eruption. Chilean authorities ordered all remaining residents, Carabineros and press to abandon the area. Given the cragged geography in the area with lakes and fiords, Chilean naval vessels are involved in the evacuation of the isolated region. Futaleufu, 70 kilometers to the east is also under full evacuation measures. On the first days a huge column of smoke and ash rose up to twenty kilometers into the sky, blanketing the area surrounding the volcano and reaching Argentina, particularly the city of Esquel which was forced to cancel classes and advise people to remain at home. Chilean officials said that on Tuesday morning molten rock was thrown from the volcano but that no lava flows had been detected. In the afternoon a similar situation occurred but with less intensity. The morning eruption could be seen from Argentina, 150 kilometers away. Rodrigo Rojas of the National Emergency Office said the situation had deteriorated suddenly. "Today the volcano is erupting with pyroclastic material [of hot ash and gas] on a different scale". "We... have ordered the immediate precautionary evacuation of all civilians, military and press in Chaiten." A government volcanology expert warned there could be a big eruption at any time. "There could be a major explosion that could collapse the volcano's cone," said Luis Lara of the National Geologic and Mining Service. "This produces a more complicated scenario. A dense cloud of pyroplastic material could move down its slopes, and that causes much more damage [than a spray of lava]. The entire volcano will not [collapse], but the eruptive column could, and that is sufficient material to be displaced down its sides and into areas nearby. Lava flow would not reach Chaitén but hot fragments, ash and gas could." "We hope the evacuation happens in an optimum way," said from Santiago Chile's president, Michelle Bachelet, who visited the area on Monday. "I hope this evolves in the least harmful way possible." Besides evacuation Chilean and Argentine authorities have to supply drinking water to near by populations because the ash has contaminated rivers, streams, lakes and other water resources. Livestock faces a similar situation with water sources contaminated and no food since all the area is covered with up to 20 centimeters of volcanic ash.