Colombian authorities have recommended the evacuation of populations near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano due to the possible eruption of the volcano. The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management has issued a statement advancing that it is working on the preventive evacuation of communities located 15 kilometers from the Arenas crater and has recommended the immediate evacuation of those within the perimeter of 0 to 15 kilometers from the Arenas crater, given that they would only have an evacuation time of less than one hour. The evacuation will affect 28 populations in six municipalities located in the high-risk zone. The Nevado del Ruiz volcano, located on the border between the departments of Tolima and Caldas, has been on orange alert since the end of March, when the daily average of earthquakes inside the volcano went from 50 to 12,000.
The Colombian Geological Service has indicated that the volcano’s activity remains very unstable and that the volcano’s seismic movements are associated with the movement of fluids inside the volcanic conduits. Last week, the volcano recorded a significant increase in temperature and continues to have seismic activity capable of triggering an eventual eruption. Nevado del Ruiz has had small eruptions for the last ten years, but the geological entity has warned that there is a probability of a major eruption in days or weeks.
Areas located at a distance greater than 15 kilometers from the Arenas crater could also be affected by lahars, flows of sediment and water that slide down the slopes of the volcanoes. The Colombian risk entity has recommended that the population remain informed about the situation of the volcano and follow the recommendations of the authorities.