Authorities Upgrade Alert Level to Yellow Following Volcanic Activity

Chilean authorities have announced a yellow alert in response to the eruption of Lascar volcano, located in the Andes, which has released ash plumes soaring thousands of metres into the sky and triggered seismic activity. The National Geology and Mining Service reported that the volcano erupted on Saturday at approximately 2:36 AM local time.

Lascar emitted a column of ash and gases that reached nearly 6,000 metres above its crater. This volcano last erupted in 1993, with minor activity recorded in 2006 and 2015. Residents of Talabre, a town in the Antofagasta region situated less than 15 km from the volcano, were the first to observe the increased volcanic activity, according to AFP.

Authorities have prepared for possible evacuations, although there has been no damage to property reported so far. The alert level for Lascar has been raised from green, its lowest status, to yellow, indicating that the volcano is currently deemed “unstable.” A no-entry zone has been established within a 5 km radius of the crater.

Lascar reaches a maximum elevation of 5,592 metres above sea level and lies approximately 70 km from the popular tourist destination of San Pedro de Atacama.

In a related update, the alert level for Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island was downgraded from a warning to a watch on Saturday, following its first eruption in nearly 40 years. The US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that while the eruption on the northeast rift zone continues, both lava output and volcanic gas emissions have significantly decreased.