MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Yellow alert maintained around Chile's Villarrica volcano

The risk of an eruption is not imminent but that might change

Chilean authorities Thursday insisted on their yellow alert regarding a possible eruption by the Villarrica volcano. “The definition of a potential danger zone consisting of a radius of 500 meters around the crater is maintained,” the National Geology and Mining Service (Sernageomin) said in a statement.

 Sernageomin also explained that there was no imminent risk of an eruption of the Villarrica volcano but the situation might change in the coming days.

The agency also pointed out that the monitoring parameters maintained an increasing trend “to be expected in the context of a yellow technical alert,” while “small explosions” may occur inside the crater.

The impact of these explosions is “restricted to the area near the volcano,” the experts also underlined.

Meanwhile, the Temuco-based Volcanological Observatory of the Southern Andes (OVDAS) was reported to be monitoring the volcano at all times to keep the population updated through official channels.

Hence, OVDAS insisted on the importance of people not falling into panic from unsubstantiated allegations from crisis mongers and sticking to the information released by the authorities.

Geologists in Argentina are also on alert. Although the volcano is fully in Chilean territory, the ashes it might cause may travel through the air and hit areas on the other side of the Andes.

Sernageomin Deputy Director Álvaro Amigo explained that the volcano was showing some “abnormal activity” which justifies the current yellow technical alert.

A “seismic trigger” was reported Sunday. It produced 21 tremors in 75 minutes.

National Emergency Office of the Ministry of the Interior (Onemi) Regional Director Daniel Epprecht said it was necessary to be prepared for whatever comes and it was therefore time to be ready, in order to “reduce the vulnerability of the people who live in the sector.”

The monitoring of the Villarrica volcano is available online at https://bit.ly/3VomY3V