Alert in Chile for the increasing volcanic activity of the "fire belt"

The Chilean authorities maintained yellow and orange warning in several communes near the Nevados de Chillán volcanic complex, located in the Biobío region, due to continuous explosions and earthquakes related to his activity, although they excluded an evacuation

The mayor (governor) of this region, Jorge Ulloa, confirmed the validity of the alerts after a meeting with officials of the National Office of Emergency (Onemi) and representatives of the civil protection system.

In statements released by the Emol portal, Ulloa said that the yellow alert is maintained in the municipalities of Pinto, Coihueco and San Fabián, the closest to Nevados de Chillán, while the alert Technical Department of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin) is always orange.

According to Onemi, the explosions, some 400 kilometers south of Santiago, suggest that the volcanic system could increase its level of activity according to the scenarios shown in reports of volcanic activity published daily.
In addition, the energy of the explosions recorded an increase compared to the previous period, so that it is possible the appearance of new energy explosions similar or even superior to those already reported .
Onemi's regional director, Gilda Grandón, badured the portal La Tercera that the decision is sporadic until there is an increase in the technical alert of the Sernageomin, which is therefore under constant surveillance.

"There have been three explosions of significant intensity and this suggests that there is greater evolution, and therefore could happen the scenarios that they (Sernageomin) describe" said the authority, adding that this "increases the chances" of an eruption.

He also noted that it is in coordination with the localities that present a greater risk of being affected by an eruption of the volcanic complex, as well as with the ski center of the region and the surrounding hotels.

For his part, the mayor of the neighboring city of Pinto, Manuel Guzmán, told reporters that they are very attentive to how the process develops in the Nevados volcanic complex of Chillán and acknowledged that the situation can be complicated. the region is full of tourists.

"All is over, because it is a long weekend (three days), we hope that the behavior of the volcano remains the same as it has been until then. now, "he said.

In this sense, the Carabineros de Chile (militarized police) decided to suspend the access of vehicles to the Nevados de Chillán complex.

According to the police, the decision is due to the fact that the complex responds to its parking spaces at the limit of its capacity and, in addition, so as to maintain the probable evacuation routes in case of failure. major emergency.

According to Sernageomin data, in Chile there are more than 2,000 volcanoes, of which about 125 are considered geologically active and about 60 have had some type of historical eruptive activity over the last 450 years.

Chile is the country with the second largest and most active volcanic chain in the world after Indonesia, with the so-called "Belt of Fire".

This chain of volcanoes along the west coast of South America is where the world's most active volcanoes are located.

Among them, the Llaima and Villarrica in Chile, the Reventador and Guagua Pichincha in Ecuador, the Galeras in Colombia and the Misti in Peru.