Llaima volcano erupts again early this morning

TEMUCO.- The Llaima volcano, which rises 3.124 meters above sea level, resumed activity this morning.  The mountain began spewing a lava flow that can now be seen running down one of the slopes towards the town of Cherquenco, located in the municipality of Vilcún – some 85 kilometers to the north of Temuco.

The increase in activity at the volcano, which is located inside the Conguillo National Park, was confirmed by the mayor of the municipality, Patricio Villanueva, after police reported seeing burning lava in the volcanic crater at approximately 4 AM this morning.

Authorities have announced that the most vulnerable areas are near the volcano are the towns of La Selva and Danubio.  Emergency operation committees are currently working to evaluate the amount of risk and decide whether an evacuation order will be implemented.

The peak had previously erupted on the afternoon of January 1st of this year, but registered a lower level of activity after two weeks, with a lava flow 2.5 kilometers long.  The volcano continued to show signs of reduced activity, but had reported an increase in seismic movements, which were undetectable by residents of the area, during the last few weeks.