Chile Volcano Ash Cloud Bears Lightning

A volcano in southern Chile has erupted for the first time in more than five decades, sending a thick plume of ash and smoke more than 12 miles into the sky.
These incredible pictures lay bare the awe-inspiring power of Mother Nature and capture the erupting volcano engulfed by a lightning storm, the snake-like bolts crackling around the billowing cloud.
Chile's Onemi emergency office declared a red alert following the sudden eruption, the first since 1972, of Calbuco last night, which occurred about 625 miles south of Santiago, the capital, near the tourist town of Puerto Varas.

As night fell, about 4,000 people had so far moved out of the area and an evacuation radius of 12 miles has been established, authorities said.
President Michelle Bachelet is scheduled to travel to the affected area on Thursday.

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Fire in the sky: A high column of ash and lava spewing from the Calbuco volcano

There are no reports of deaths, missing persons or injuries, Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said. He urged residents to evacuate and warned of possible lahars, a mix of water and rock fragments that flow down a volcano's slopes and river valleys.
Winds blowing northeast were pushing the column of ash and smoke toward Argentina.

 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/chile-volcano-breath-taking-images-show-5566457