Colombia’s Galeras volcano erupts, ‘red alert’ issued
August 26th, 2010 - 3:23 am ICT by BNO NewsPASTO, COLOMBIA (BNO NEWS) – The Galeras volcano erupted on early Wednesday in the southwest Colombian city of Pasto, forcing authorities to order the evacuation of thousands, officials said.
The eruption took place around 4:00 a.m. local time and the government raised the alert level from orange to red. Colombian government ordered the evacuation of the nearly 8,000 inhabitants in the areas surrounding the volcano as stronger eruptions might take place in the near future.
The Colombian Red Cross urged the people living in the area to get to the shelters that were established to assist them. The organization remarked that the inhabitants of La Florida, in Nariño department and the rural Pasto areas must evacuate the high-risk zone.
As volcanic activity continues, the government has installed nine shelters, fully-equipped with electricity and water, in the rural areas to assist the local residents. The nine shelters can provide refuge to 5,000 individuals.
The National Police announced the deployment of 400 agents to assist in the evacuation efforts, and the Colombian Air Force is conducting reconnaissance flights to detect any change in the volcano’s activity.
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Tags: authorities, bno, colombia, colombian air force, colombian city, colombian government, deployment, electricity, evacuation efforts, galeras volcano, high risk, inhabitants, local time, national police, orange, reconnaissance flights, red alert, red cross, rural areas, volcanic activity