A 42-year old dormant volcano has erupted twice this week in Chile creating a magnificent whirlpool of ash flaring in the sky. The blasts have been captured on photos and videos and it was indeed a rare sight, although it had compelled 4,000 residents in nearby areas to evacuate their homes. Ensenada, the city right at the foot Calbuco volcano got covered in the thickest and causing crumpled roofs, distressing residents on possible water contamination, respiratory illnesses and more grounded flights.
The people of Chile have been warned by their national geology and mining services to prepare themselves for a third and “even more aggressive eruption.”
Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile paid a visit to the Ensenada area on Thursday and has made a declaration of a state of emergency.
She said, “We don’t have any problems with supplies, water or sewage up to now. Our problem is a respiratory one, from inhaling all of this ash, and the fact that this ash could generate some sort of environmental contamination.”
According to authorities, Ensenada had no people at all except 30 residents, most of them in masks refusing to evacuate. A few residents were seen shoveling ash off their roofs. A local guy, Daniel Patricio Gonzalez had left the town but came back on Thursday night to check the damages incurred in his house and his restaurant, only to find out that he roof of his restaurant had caved in.
He said, “This hurts a bit, but there’s nothing to do against nature. The important thing is that my family is fine.”
There had been no reports of injury in Ensenada, and the one person that was reported missing following the eruptions had been located on Thursday.
Several airlines cancelled their flight to and from Pueto Montt, a city near the volcano as the ash has could severely damage jet engines.
The winds had blown the volcanic dust all the way to a small town in Argentina, 50 miles northeast of Ensenada and had coated streets and cars with ash.
The last time the 6,500-foot high Calbuco volcano erupted was in 1972.
