The Calbuco volcano seen from Puerto Montt, Chile on April 22, 2015. (Alex Vidal Brecas/European Pressphoto Agency)
This story has been updated.
Billows of ash illuminated by the setting sun painted the sky red on Wednesday after the Calbuco volcano in southern Chile erupted for the first time in more than 42 years.
The eruption caught authorities off guard. Chile’s National Mining and and Geology Service issued a high alert and ordered the evacuation of 1,500 inhabitants of the nearby town of Ensenada, reports the Associated Press.
Smoke and ash rise from the Calbuco volcano, seen from Puerto Varas on April 22, 2015. (Carlos Gutierrez/Reuters)
“For us it was a surprise,” Alejandro Verges, regional emergency director told the AP.
“This is clearly a much larger eruption than the one we saw with the Villarica some weeks ago,” Interior and Security Minister Rodrido Penailillo also told the AP, “and therefore we need to take bigger and faster measures.”
The 6,500 foot volcano lies about 620 miles south of Chile’s capital Santiago and near the cities of Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. Calbuco last erupted in 1972 and is thought to be one of the three most potentially dangerous of Chile’s 90 active volcanos. But the Calbuco was not under observation, Verges told the AP.
Smoke and ash rise from the Calbuco volcano as seen from the city of Puerto Montt on April 22, 2015. (Rafael Arenas/Reuters)
By late in the day, the eruption sent ash into the sky but no hot rocks or lava had been seen, authorities told the AP.
“It sounded like a big tractor trailer passing by the road, rattling and shaking, guttural rumbling.” Trevor Moffat, who lives in Ensenada told Reuters. “All the neighbors were outside, a lot of young people crying. Armageddon type reaction,” he said.
The view from Puerto Varas, in southern Chile, of a high column of ash and lava spewing from the Calbuco volcano on April 22, 2015. (AFP/Getty Images)
The eruption of Calbuco seen from Puerto Montt, Chile on April 22, 2015. (Francisco Negroni/European Pressphoto Agency)
Smoke and ash rise from the Calbuco volcano as seen from the city of Puerto Montt, April 22, 2015. (Sergio Candia/Reuters)
But after nightfall, images released show the volcano engulfed in lava and lightning. According to Reuters, the eruption could be seen as far as 30 miles away.
This view from Frutillar in southern Chile shows a high column of ash and lava spewing from the Calbuco volcano on April 23, 2015. (Francisco Negroni/AFP/Getty Images)
A view of the Chilean Calbuco volcano from Puerto Montt, Chile, on April 22,2015. (Francisco Negroni/European Pressphoto Agency)
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