MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Volcanic ashes give Buenos Aires sunset grayish color

A thin rain of ashes in suspension from the Chilean volcano Chaitén which became active last Friday and have blanketed vast areas of Chilean and Argentine Patagonia began reaching Buenos Aires City atmosphere on Thursday.

Argentina's Meteorological Office warned that air traffic might be distorted as a consequence but anticipating the situation American Airlines and United Airlines decided to cancel flights to Buenos Aires alleging the presence of volcanic dust which is extremely deteriorating for turbines. Cancellation includes daily flights to and from Miami, New York, Dallas and Chicago. The volcanic ash rain in suspension was located at 3.500 meters height but sufficient to darken Buenos Aires City with a grayish color and impede a certain degree of light at sunset Thursday. "Since Thursday midday volcanic ash from the Chilean volcano Chaiten was detected in the sky of Buenos Aires and surroundings", announced Argentina's Meteorological Office. A similar phenomenon has been registered in extensive areas of the Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Rio Negro, Neuquen and Chubut provinces. The Meteorological Office said that in the coming 48 hours the volcanic ashes are not expected to precipitate given the current climatic conditions. The Office also said the ashes did not have present a toxic risk although "people could suffer skin and mucosal irritation (eyes, nose and mouth) because of the high density of volcanic particles". Offshore the Atlantic Ocean in the Falklands, the local Meteorological Officer confirmed that ash passed over the Islands on Saturday but has since taken "a more easterly track across Argentina and out into the Atlantic Ocean" with some low concentrations of ash, high in the atmosphere, circulating south over East Falkland. The latest predictions suggest further low level concentrations of ash, high in the atmosphere "may pass close to or over the Falklands during the weekend". Meantime in Chile police and soldiers cleared on Thursday the last remaining people from the shadow of the Chaiten volcano after a strong, overnight explosion spewed glowing-hot rocks from its crater. The Chaiten eruption has forced the evacuation of more than 7000 people from their homes in Chile. "The worst that could happen is that the seismic activity begins to increase, the explosions become greater and large domes form that could collapse and produce pyroclastic flows," said Lara, an expert with the Chilean government's Geological and Mining Service. Pyroclastic flows are blasts of volcanic material that can move at great speed, destroying everything in their path. Armed with a court order for people to leave an area within a 50-kilometer radius of the mountain, authorities forcibly removed about 130 holdouts, mostly small farmers, who had refused to abandon their livestock. Chilean Defense Minister and coordinator of relief Jose Goni said the government requested the court order "because the danger is clear, as the volcano remains very active." Officials are also helping to move hundreds of head of livestock from the disaster zone, and promised to compensate farmers for animals that are killed. A combined operation to move livestock from the Chilean zone to Argentina has begun to be considered by sanitary authorities from both neighboring countries.