Peru Ubinas Volcano Eruption in South America Forces Evacuation of Thousands

Peru's active Ubinas volcano erupted a massive cloud of ash on April 15, and now the falling embers have caused an evacuation of the nearby village of Querapi as the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency.

Located in southwestern Peru, the Ubinas volcano is about 3,700 years old with an active history since around 1550. It stands at 18,609 feet and contains a 150-meter-deep summit with a 500-meter-wide and 200-meter-deep crater. The volcano was very active last decade, erupting between 2006-2010, but before that it hadn't any activity since 1969.

Ubinas spewed a 14,750-foot-high ash cloud in the most recent report of the eruption, which prompted Peruvian authorities to evacuate 4,000 people living near the volcano. The districts that were declared to be in a state of emergency are the province of General Sanchez Cerro, Moquegua department, the district of San Juan de Tarucani, and the Arequipa province. The emergency is expected to last 60 days.

Peru's Andina State News Agency reported that the Andean nation's Agricultural Minister Juan Benites says that the evacuation of the residents of the two southern districts as well as their estimated 30,000 sheep, cows, horses, burros, and other animals, will take about three days.

The evacuation process will require assistance with the National Institute of Civil Defense as well as the Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Sanitation; Transport and Communications; Agriculture and Irrigation; Health; Women and Vulnerable Populations, as well as other public and private institutions.

The volcano has been experiencing an ongoing series of small eruptions that are said to have begun on Sunday, but local residents complained about eye inflammation and stomach issues due to falling ash since March 29, Peru's Ministry of Health reports.

However, this situation is not new to the Peruvian government and residents. A major eruption at Ubinas in 2006 also forced the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents as well as their livestock. The government is likely taking the proper measures based on the events from that year.

You can read more about the Ubinas volcano in this Live Science article as well as this Fox News update.