The Government of Peru declared a state of emergency for 60 days on Wednesday in various towns in the south of the country due to “imminent danger” due to the expulsion of ash and gases from the Ubinas volcano, which had been inactive for four years.
The measure, which allows the government to “execute exceptional measures and actions” to reduce the existing risks of the volcano, was approved in a cabinet meeting with President Dina Boluarte, the Council of Ministers said on Twitter.
The Ubinas volcano, in the Moquegua region 1,200 kilometers south of Lima, began to emit gases at the end of June and this week registered first ash explosions that rose up to 5,500 meters high.
The Geophysical Institute of Peru said in a report on Wednesday that the ash has been dispersed in a radius greater than 10 kilometers from the volcano, which is 5,700 meters above sea level.
Some 2,000 people live in areas surrounding the volcano, according to authorities who raised the state of alert for the eruptions to “orange” from “yellow” a few days ago.
The authorities have not ordered an evacuation in the area, while the National Civil Defense Institute is preparing a shelter that was built in 2019, when the volcano erupted and hundreds of people had to leave.
In the south of Peru, where important mining deposits are exploited, there are a dozen volcanoes. The Andean country is located in the so-called “Pacific ring of fire”, an area with a high incidence of earthquakes and volcanic activity.
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