Volcanic ash and steam rose into a plume that reached as high as 17 kilometres, said the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, forcing more than 12,000 inhabitants of Chaitén, Futaleufú, Santa Barbara and other settlements to be evacuated after the surrounding area became buried under ash and water supplies were contaminated.

The plume was blown in a southeasterly direction across the Andes, forcing the closure of schools, roads and an airport in neighbouring Argentina, and extended into the Atlantic Ocean, where it was clearly visible stretching for hundreds of kilometres on satellite images.

Chilean officials have declared the ash to be non-toxic, despite reports of many people in the affected areas complaining of breathing problems and sore eyes. And according to Alejandro Beletzky, an environmental scientist in the area, the ash could cause long-term environmental damage as well as health problems to people and animals. ‘The presence of volcanic ash in the region, which is falling constantly, is very risky for humans, plants and animals,’ he said.

Local media reports claimed that around 40,000 head of livestock had been abandoned by evacuated farmers. But the owner of a fish farm 13 kilometres from the blast had taken evasive action and transported some 600,000 salmon by boat, according to the Associated Press.

August 2008