A vast cloud of ash spewing from a Chilean volcano disrupted air travel yesterday across much of South America, as heavy rains around the eruption site prompted fears of mudslides.
Air traffic was sharply curtailed on the continent as the ash cloud drifted over Argentina, and into Brazil. Flights in and out of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, a key regional hub, were canceled for most of the day.
However, officials at Uruguay’s main Carrasco airport said late on Tuesday that the situation was expected to normalize in the coming day, after more than 90 percent of flights were canceled due to safety concerns over the cloud.
Photo: Reuters
Rain mixed with volcanic ash poured down on communities near the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano chain on Tuesday, raising fears that the weight of falling water and volcanic materials could cause mudslides and threaten dams in the area.
A milky coating of ash settled on the waters of Gol Gol River, which was swollen by heavy rains.
“We are concerned about water that can drag the volcanic material certain places and cause some dams to fall,” Public Works Minister Hernan de Soliminhac said.
Enrique Valdivieso, director of Chile’s National Service of Geology and Mines, said heavy rains would not quell the power of the volcano, but could bring gases and ash to the surface, contaminating rivers.
Valdivieso said Puyehue’s eruptions have slowed but there is still a risk of large amounts of sediment pouring down from the eruption.
Across the border in Argentina, residents were without electricity or drinking water in the winter resort of Bariloche as a torrent of mud and volcanic ash wreaked havoc.
The problems were worsened by heavy rains that mixed with ash and caused power generators to short circuit, creating more havoc.
“I came with my family the day of the eruption. Since then I can’t understand what is happening,” said Augusto Reales, a tourist from northern Argentina, as he boarded a bus to leave the resort area. “We can’t stay with so much uncertainty.”
On Lake Nahuel Huapi, one of Bariloche’s main tourist attractions, the emerald green waters were covered with patches of black ash.
“The eruption has begun to lose power but the active phase of the volcano is going to last for weeks or months,” said Gustavo Villarosa, a volcanologist.
The price for face masks surged in several days to the equivalent of US$8, prompting warnings from local officials.
The main worry for Bariloche was the closure of its airport — its runways blanketed with a thick coat of ash — just ahead of the ski season, the big draw for the local economy.
Meanwhile, Brazilian officials said the volcanic cloud had moved over the southern states of Rio Grande do Sul and Parana.
The cloud is crossing Brazilian territory “in the upper atmosphere,” said Saulo Freitas at the Brazilian Institute of Space Research. He said the cloud was likely to continue toward the Atlantic coast at an altitude of 8,000m to 12,000m.
A total of 62 flights were canceled Tuesday at the two airports in the Argentine capital, but aviation officials in Buenos Aires said flights were being rescheduled.
About 90 percent of flights into Montevideo were canceled, and other flights from Brazil and Chile crossing over the affected area were scrapped due to fears of volcanic ash that could damage jet engines.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was