Saudi crown prince and Brazilian president discuss over phone ways to enhance relations    Hajj minister: Over 18.5 million foreign pilgrims perform Hajj and Umrah in 2024 Annual Hajj Conference and Exhibition kicks off at Jeddah Superdome    Saudi Arabia reaffirms Syria must be free from any aggression on its sovereignty    Makkah Taxi service launched at Jeddah Hajj Conference    GACA slaps SR18.8 million in fines on air carriers and individuals in 2024    Over 250 Portuguese companies prepare to enter Saudi market    Saudi Arabia signs mining deals with 6 countries    Hamas side has accepted draft agreement for Gaza ceasefire, officials say    LA brain surgeon saves street from 'apocalyptic' wildfires    Rescuers pull six more bodies from South Africa mine    Saudi's first pro boxer Ziyad Almaayouf set for monumental Riyadh return during Riyadh Season    Russia forms emergency task force as Kerch Strait oil spill spreads    Spain plans 100% tax for homes bought by non-EU residents    Record label takes legal action against K-pop band    Meghan Netflix show delayed over LA wildfires    Al Orobah sign Saudi Pro League's all-time top scorer Omar Al Somah    Al Hilal thrash Al Orobah 5-0 to reclaim Roshn Saudi League top spot    Al Ittihad held to 1-1 draw by Al Fayha, lose Saudi League top spot    SFDA warns of potential risks associated with high doses of Ginseng    Oscar nominations postponed because of LA fires    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    









Chilean volcano grounds flights, coats ski slopes
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 08 - 06 - 2011

SANTIAGO, Chile: An erupting Chilean volcano sent a towering plume of ash across South America late Tuesday, forcing thousands from their homes, grounding airline flights in southern Argentina and coating ski resorts with a gritty layer of dust instead of snow.
Booming explosions echoed across the Andes as toxic gases belched up from a three-mile-long (five-kilometer long) fissure in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic complex – a ridge between two craters just west of the Chilean-Argentine border that began erupting Saturday. Winds blew a six-mile-high cloud of ash all the way to the Atlantic Ocean and even into southern Buenos Aires province, hundreds of miles to the northeast.
Authorities in Chile went house to house, trying to persuade stragglers near the volcano to leave because of an increasing danger of toxic gas and flash floods. By Monday, about 4,000 people had been evacuated from more than 22 communities.
They began fleeing as swarms of earthquakes Saturday heralded the eruption and hundreds more fled Monday to shelters farther away. Some refused to leave, wanting to protect their homes and livestock. Chile's verdant lakes region is a center for dairy farming, with more than 9,000 cows and sheep. Deputy Interior Minister Rodrigo Ubilla said about 50 families in the Rininahue area refused to abandon their homes. “Everything is prepared with shelter and transportation for them to immediately leave the danger zone,” added Vicente Nunez, director of Chile's emergency preparedness office, urging them to leave.
Just north of the complex of volcanoes, the city of Futrono and the communities of Lago Ranco and Entre Rios were particularly vulnerable to flash floods. Some people also refused to leave Mantilhue, along the Rio Bueno, or “Good River,” just six miles (10 kilometers) from the eruption. And while the evacuation order wasn't yet mandatory, a group of Mapuche Indians said they would seek the regional governor's authorization to enter the area to pray for the volcano to stop erupting.
Enrique Valdivieso, the director of Chile's National Geology and Mines Service, said the fissure was belching toxic gases and material that could clog rivers and force them to overflow. Spectacular displays of lightning flashed in the volcanic clouds during the weekend, and while the amount of ash falling east of the volcano subsided significantly by Monday, experts said it was too early to predict how long it will take before the volcano falls silent.
Volcanic dust coated ski slopes above San Carlos de Bariloche and Villa la Angostura two weeks before the official start of the winter skiing season. The resorts' trade group said it was too early to say how it would affect the local economy, but for now, residents were told to stay indoors and tourists were asked not to come..


Clic here to read the story from its source.