Associated Press
A volcano erupted violently in southwestern Colombia Thursday, spewing ash miles into the sky and prompting the evacuation of several thousand people living nearby.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or serious property damage after the 14,110-foot (4,300-meter) Galeras volcano began erupting about 8 p.m.
About 8,000 people live in areas near the volcano in the city of Pasto, where the mayor ordered an evacuation (see map).
But "most of the city is not in danger," Fernando Gil, director of Colombia's Seismological Network, told The Associated Press by phone.
"[Galeras] is still erupting," Gil said more than two hours after its initial eruption.
Witnesses said the explosion lit up the night sky. Gil estimated that the ash cloud reached five miles (eight kilometers) into the air.
He called it the most serious eruption of Galeras since the volcano reactivated in 1989. "Depending on the wind direction it's going to spread ashes over the entire area," he said.
"Most of [Galeras'] eruptions are violent and short," Gil noted. Thursday's eruption had produced some lava flows that did not extend far from the volcano's crater, he added.
(Learn more about volcanoes and eruptions.)
A 1993 eruption of the volcano, near the border with Ecuador, killed nine people, including five scientists who had descended into the crater to sample gases.
In November 2005 the volcano spewed ash that fell about 30 miles (48 kilometers) away.
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