16 Astonishing Pictures Of Calbuco Volcano Eruption In Chile That Caused 4,000 People To Evacuate

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Calbuco Volcano eruption in Chile has been ongoing for over a week. The volcano has erupted a total of 3 times in 8 days, and who knows if it is done yet. Calbuco volcano measures 6,572 feet at its greatest peak, and overlooks the cities of Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas. Combined, these two cities have a total population of around 25,000 people, 4,000 of which have been evacuated from their homes due to the severity of recent eruptions.

The last time Calbuco Volcano erupted was in 1972, and so the latest outburst was somewhat of a surprise to locals and authorities. Chile is home to 90 volcanoes, and Calbuco is considered among the top 3 most dangerous of all.

Silva Diaz, an engineer living in Puerto Montt, said: “People went into a state of panic. Then, at around 1 a.m., I heard a loud noise, as if somebody had detonated an atomic bomb. We woke up today with a blanket of fog and it hasn’t cleared. We have a layer of smoke above us.”

Even those that have not been forced to evacuate are concerned about their health due to the massive amount of ash covering surrounding cities.

Photographers have captured some pretty incredible photos of the Calbuco Volcano eruption, highlighting just how fierce Mother Nature can be.

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Photo Credit: Roger Smith

Calbuco is a stratovolcanoes, which is known for its extreme explosive eruptions. A number of famous volcanoes are stratovolcanoes too, such as Mt. St. Helens, Krakatoa and Vesuvius.