Red alert remains in nearby localities of the Villarrica volcano in Chile

Chilean authorities decided today to keep the red alert within ten kilometers around the Villarrica volcano, which erupted forcing the evacuation of around 4000 people from nearby towns yesterday in the early morning, official sources said.

The Emergency Operations Committee (COE), in which the Chilean government, the Service of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin for its Spanish acronym) and the National Emergency Office (Onemi for its Spanish acronym) are involved, made the decision.

The measure states the evacuation of the inhabitants of this area, whose entry is prohibited; while in other towns near the volcano, in the region of La Araucanía, the yellow alert still governs. In addition, 45 families of the Cerduo Alto and Cerduo Bajo areas continue isolated.

Meanwhile, in Coñaripe, in the region of Los Ríos, most evacuees have already managed to return home and only seventeen adults and four children remain housed in that locality.