Colombian authorities have ordered the evacuation of 8,000 people, following the eruption of an active volcano in the country's southwest.
The Galeras volcano, located some 700 km (435 miles) southwest of Colombia's capital, Bogota, erupted on Saturday evening, throwing ash and rock and forcing authorities to declare a red alert.
No casualties have so far been reported.
Galeras, which is Colombia's most active volcano, is located at an altitude of 4,276 meters (14,030 feet) in the so-called Pacific Belt of Fire, which registers 85% of the world's earthquakes.
A massive eruption of the Galeras volcano in 1993 killed nine people, including six scientists who had descended into the volcano's crater to sample gases.
In November 2005 and July 2006 the nearby city of Pasto was blanketed by a layer of ash after the volcano eruption.
BUENOS AIRES, January 3 (RIA Novosti)
