The Colombians remain marked by the tragedy of Armero in 1985. The explosion of Nevado del Ruiz had killed 25,000 people, including the young Omayra Sanchez, whose agony had been filmed by the cameras.
The temperatures inside the crater of Nevado del Ruiz volcanoin western Colombia, continue to increase, as does seismic activity, a sign of a “very unstable” volcano and a probable next eruption, Colombian authorities warned on Friday.
The Nevado del Ruiz is remembered in Colombia for the tragedy of Armero, the second deadliest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, where some 25,000 people died in November 1985 in an avalanche of mud and ash caused by an eruption.
The ordeal of Omayra Sanchez, 13, who died in a waterhole after three days of agony in front of the cameras, had then upset the whole world.
On orange alert since March 31
It has been on “orange” alert since March 31, when the daily average of earthquakes inside the volcano rose from 50 to 12,000. A “red” alert issued by the authorities would mean a very close eruption and an immediate large-scale evacuation of populations.
“The temperatures inside the crater have increased considerably, rising to more than 700 degrees Celsius,” presidential adviser Luis Fernando Velasco, in charge of the file, told local media.
In its latest volcano monitoring bulletin on Friday, the Colombian Geological Service (SGC) once again warns: “All indicators confirm (…) that the activity of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano continues to be very unstable. “.
The volcano has experienced several small eruptions over the past decade, but the SGC believes that “it is likely that in a few days or weeks it will erupt into a major eruption.”
Dropper evacuations
The latest images released by authorities show the mountain top lit up with glowing materials in the middle of the night from Thursday to Friday.
“Yesterday we saw a small eruption (…) a combination of very hot ash and magma trying to get out of the crater”, explained Luis Fernando Velasco.
Some 57,000 people living in the 22 municipalities closest to the volcano are being evacuated in dribs and drabs, as farmers are reluctant to abandon their crops and livestock.
Located in the Central Cordillera and the Pacific Ring of Fire, Nevado del Ruiz is one of the 25 active volcanoes in Colombia.
