CHILE — Volcano Calbuco has erupted for the first time in more than four decades. President Michelle Bachelet has declared a state of emergency.
Video below shows the plumes of smoke and ash filling the sky.
An evacuation has been ordered at least 13 miles around the site of the eruption. Around 1,500 people are fleeing the area, Reuters reported.
According to Argentina’s meteorological service, the ash cloud was shot as high as 40,000 feet.
Local reports say people are rushing to fill up gas tanks and buy food.
Calbuco is a stratovolcano in southern Chile, located southeast of Llanquihue Lake and northwest of Chapo Lake, in the Los Lagos Region. The volcano and the surrounding area are protected within Llanquihue National Reserve.