Monday, April 27, 2015

Ensenada, Chile, "Ghost Town"

http://www.wunderground.com/news/chile-calbuco-volcano-eruption-evacuations-alerts

Two eruptions blasted forth from Chile's Calbuco volcano for the first time in more than 42 years on Wednesday, creating a remarkable scene of smoke plumes and ash shooting more than 6 miles into the sky. Calbuco had another spectacular outburst early Thursday with lightning crackling through a dark sky turned reddish orange by the explosion.
Ensenada, in the foothills of the volcano, looked like a ghost town Thursday, but for an occasional horse or dog roaming its only street. Most of the 1,500 residents had evacuated after the initial eruption Wednesday, with only about 30 people refusing to leave out of worry for their homes and animals, The Associated Press reported.
The height of the volcanic ash emitted triggered concerns that the dust could contaminate water, trigger respiratory illnesses and halt more flights. No injuries have been reported.
The first blast surprised Chilean emergency officials, who were left with only minutes to issue an alert. 
"People went into a state of panic," said Miguel Silva Diaz, an engineer who lives in Puerto Montt, a city about 14 miles from the volcano. "Then, at around 1 a.m., I heard a loud noise, as if somebody had detonated an atomic bomb."

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