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Thousands flee Volcano in Colombia

NEIVA, Colombia (AP) -- The long-dormant Nevado del Huila volcano erupted late Tuesday and early Wednesday, provoking avalanches and floods that swept away houses and bridges and prompted thousands to evacuate.

"There are 10,000 people in the zone, of which we've already evacuated 3,500," Luz Amanda Pulido, director of the national disaster office, told The Associated Press after flying over the volcano in southwest Colombia. There were no reports of deaths or injuries.

The volcano's eruption at 10:37 p.m. Tuesday was its first on record since Colombia was colonized by the Spanish 500 years ago. A second eruption occurred at 2:57 a.m. Wednesday.

Experts did not rule out more eruptions.

"The seismic activity remains light but permanent, and we can't rule out another bigger event in the next hours or days," said Mario Ballesteros, director of the government's Institute for Geology and Mining.

Meanwhile, the Paez and Simbola rivers remain swollen and clogged with an avalanche of rocks.

"The bridges were swept away, the highway used by the indigenous in the zone was destroyed for various kilometers and the problem we have now is the lack of a route to deliver goods and medicines to the population," police Gen. Orlando Paez said.

The Nevado del Huila, crested with a crown of ice, is Colombia's third-highest peak at 18,484 feet (5,634 meters). Located 170 miles (270 kilometers) southwest of Bogota, it awoke in March with a series of internal rumblings.

In 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano exploded, setting off a series of mudslides that wiped the village of Armero away, killing around 21,000 people.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/04/18/columbia.volcano.ap/index.html

By JMCana on Apr 18, 2007, 13:13 in Friendly Talkzone.

Man Tequila says on Apr 20, 2007, 00:29:

Anything else come of this?
Anything else come of this?

Aunque no me creas/ si me lo propongo/ lograre olvidarte/ porque a fin de cuentas/ no soy tan cobarde./ Y termino todo una de estas tardes/ no sera dificil buscar algún sitio donde refugiarme/ donde nunca mas vuelvas a encontrarme. (Polo Montañez)

0 funny, 0 helpful.

juancegomez says on Apr 20, 2007, 11:04:

Colombia to rebuild volcano-damaged area

Thu Apr 19, 10:59 PM ET

BELALCAZAR, Colombia - President Alvaro Uribe vowed Thursday to rebuild roads and bridges swept away by floods and avalanches after the long-dormant volcano erupted in southwest Colombia.

Uribe pledged state funds for the reconstruction effort while visiting some of the 3,000 farmers who were forced to evacuate when the Nevado del Huila volcano exploded Tuesday.

"The bridges, roads and energy transmission lines can all be recovered," Uribe told the residents who relocated to the town of Belalcazar, 170 miles southwest of the capital of Bogota. "Thank God there were no human victims."

Air force helicopters were deployed Thursday to airlift more than 120 people stranded by the floods and avalanches, which destroyed 19 bridges along the Paez and Simbola rivers.

It was the first eruption on record of the ice-crowned, 18,484-foot Nevado del Huila, Colombia's third highest peak.

In 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano exploded, setting off a series of mudslides that wiped the village of Armero away, killing about 21,000 people.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070420/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/colombia_volcano_1

0 funny, 0 helpful.