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Volcano Erupts Near Ski Resort in Andes

Volcano Erupts Near Ski Resort in Andes

Published : 11-Aug-2018 05:57



A volcano has erupted at a ski resort in Chile, but the area's operators say it is still business as usual.

The volcano erupted at around noon on Wednesday and skiers riding a chairlift up in the direction of the erupting volcano posted dramatic video of the ash cloud, which was estimated to rise around 2000m above the volcano's summit in to the clear air.

However Chilean government agencies gave the eruption a relatively low risk 'yellow' warning and the ski resort's operators, whilst declining to post images of the eruption themselves, quickly posted confirmation that they were continuing to operate through the eruption. No injuries or any disruption have been reported to have resulted from the eruption.

The ski season is currently at around its mid-way point in South America with ski areas having opened in late June and likely to stay open to late September.

Volcanic eruptions at or near south American ski resorts are not unusual and can shut down resorts for months or sometimes the entire season. Some resorts are reported to have thin rubber sections in their lift towers to absorb seismic activity when it occurs.

The ski area of Catedral in Argentina was forced to close several years ago when a mixture of grey ash snow fell on the slopes and planes were unable to reach the nearby airport.

Earlier this year an emergency worker was killed by falling debris as a volcano erupted at a ski resort in Japan.

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