A volcano could soon erupt in Colombia. Because of the eruption that has been threatening for weeks, the authorities in the South American country have started to bring numerous people to safety. According to media reports, around the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in the west of the country, the authorities ordered the evacuation of around 40 families from the village of Villamaría.
The second highest warning level has recently been in effect for the volcano, and according to the authorities, an eruption could be imminent. The country is preparing for this, among other things, by setting up an operations center to coordinate aid measures. President Gustavo Petro also convened the Security Council on Monday.
The seismic and volcanic activity of the 5,321 meter high Nevado del Ruiz has “significantly increased” since March 24, according to the authorities. If the volcano erupted, almost 57,000 people would be affected, 14,000 of them in cities.
The volcano has shown “constant eruptive activity” with “smaller events” over the past ten years, said the State Institute for Geology. It was mainly ash clouds.
Nevado del Ruiz is one of 25 active volcanoes in Colombia. It lies on the Central Cordillera and the Pacific Fire Belt. Its increasing activity has brought back memories of 1985 in the South American country. At that time, more than 20,000 people were killed by a mudslide after an eruption of Nevado del Ruiz. It was the country’s worst natural disaster.
Once again, the greatest danger to the population is a mudslide composed of ash, water and rock that could be triggered by the melting of the ice on the slopes of the volcano.
Read the events of 1985: Pictures of 13-year-old Omayra Sánchez stuck in the mud after a volcanic eruption in Colombia went viral. After three days of fighting, she finally lost her life – just minutes before she was rescued.
