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Volcano Erupts in Southern Chile VOA News June 04, 2011 The Puyehue volcano in southern Chile has erupted for the first time in a half century, sending a column of gas about 10 kilometers into the air. Authorities say they plan to evacuate 3,500 people from areas around the mountain, which is nearly 1,000 kilometers south of the Chilean capital, Santiago. The eruption also prompted authorities to shut a border crossing into Argentina. Emergency officials recorded many small earthquakes in the region Saturday. There have been no reports of injuries. Chile has the second largest volcanic chain in the world...

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- The Puyehue volcano in southern Chile erupted Saturday, sending a huge plume of smoke and ash into the sky and prompting officials to evacuate about 600 people living nearby. There were no reports of injuries. Authorities had put the area around the volcano on alert Saturday morning after a flurry of earthquakes, and the eruption began in the afternoon. The National Emergency Office said it recorded an average of 230 tremors an hour. On the other side of the Andes in Argentina, heavy ash fell on the city of San Carlos de Bariloche.