Chile volcano?s eruptions could last weeks or months

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 The head of the Chilean National Mining and Geology Service said the volcano's eruptions could last weeks or months

The head of the Chilean National Mining and Geology Service said the volcano?s eruptions could last weeks or months

During a lull in its activity, most airports in Chile and neighbouring Argentina reopened.

They were closed because of the tons of fine volcanic ash thrown into the atmosphere.

More than 6,000 people living close to the volcano have been evacuated.

Scientists say they are also concerned that rain expected to fall in the next few days could mix with the ash to form dangerous mudslides.

Calbuco is estimated to have spewed out 210 million cubic metres (7,420m cubic feet) of ash which has coated the land for around in dust as light as flour or talcum powder.

In some towns, local TV stations showed people wearing masks clearing the heavy ash off the roofs of their houses and nearby roads.

On Saturday, the Chilean government announced it would provide aid to cover huge financial losses incurred by local farmers and to help evacuate thousands of farm animals.

International flights were delayed or cancelled because of concerns over the ash cloud created by the volcano.

The eruption on Thursday created a cloud of ash that rose 20km (12 miles) into the air.

Volcanic ash can be extremely dangerous to aircraft as the fine particles can damage engines.

In March, the Villarrica volcano, 200km (125 miles) north of Calbuco, erupted in the early hours of the morning, spewing ash and lava into the sky.

Calbuco is located in Los Lagos, a region popular with tourists because of its mountain landscapes of volcanoes and lakes.

Chile has about 90 active volcanoes.

The country has been hit by a series of natural disasters in recent months including flooding in the usually arid north and wildfires in southern forests.

BBC

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