Thousands of people were evacuated Thursday after the Nevado del Huila volcano
erupted. Authorities declared a state of red alert and order everyone
within the surroundings to immediately leave their homes.
Authorities called for the immediate evacuation of La Plata, Paicol, Nátaga and Tesalia, but it’s uncertain if the population of the surrounding towns and villages will cooperate
with authorities. In April this year many people refused to respond to an
evacuation call.
The eruption took place at 21:45 and immediately caused the Colombian seismologist institute to raise the state of alert to its highest level. The eruption caused a mudslide that passed an indigenous settlement alongside the Paez river, but no wounded were reported.
Seismic activity seemed to go down again after the initial eruption, Ingeominas said, but authorities are staying cautious.
An eruption of the volcano in 1994 — the first in 500 years — resulted in the death of more than a thousand indigenous living close to the volcano.