Avalanches and mudslides following the eruption of the Nevado del Huila volcano Thursday evening injured nine people and
were bigger than the one following the 1994 eruption that killed 1,000
indigenous living next to the Paez river. There have been no new
eruptions, but there were still small earthquakes Friday afternoon.
The eruption led to two major avalanches, Colombia’s geology and mining authority said after having inspected the volcano from a helicopter. According to the Geominas, the avalanche following the eruption was “equal or bigger” than the one that killed more than a 1000 indigenous in 1994 when the volcano erupted for the first time in 500 years.
The avalanche that went down the river Paez was more than ten meters high, inspectors said.
The mudslide destroyed five bridges and 26 houses and severely damaged a school and a football stadium in the town of Belalcázar, located right next to the Paez.
President Alvaro Uribe flew with disaster officials over the volcano
Friday, and ordered the air force to create an “air bridge” to supply
cut off towns along the Rio Paez.