Futaleufú dawns a ghostown following last night’s eruption

SANTIAGO.- Futaleufú experienced one of its most harrowing nights since the beginning of the eruption of the Chaitén volcano.

At approximately 11:40 PM Wednesday night, the mountain began to register new activity, forcing a complete evacuation of the towns of Santa Bárbara, Chaitén and Futaleufú.

The volcanic activity lasted close to 10 minutes, alerting experts as well as the Army.

Cloudy, ash-ridden skies are the only company for the very small group of Army officers still located in the zone this morning. They are in charge of notifying authorities of any further problems.

The stirrings have prompted a total evacuation of the area, allowing for the use of an emergency protection measure approved yesterday by the Puerto Montt Court of Appeals so that police and Armed Forces may carry out the order.