Colombia raises alert on possible Galeras volcano eruption

Colombia's National Geological System (SGN) on Friday raised the alert level for the Galeras volcano located in the southern province of Narino after several quakes. The SGN also ordered the evacuation of residents living in the vicinity of the slopes of the 4,276-meter high volcano, which sits close to the Colombian border with Ecuador, saying the series of quakes reported during the last 24 hours could be an indicator of an eruption. Due to the increased activity of the volcano, which last erupted in August 2010 when it spewed gases, ashes and rocks through a series of explosions, SGN Director Martha Calvache said the SGN had raised the alert to level 2, which means that an eruption could happen in the next 48 hours. The Galeras, which is just 9 km from Pasto, the provincial capital of Narino, has been active for years. It turned deadly in January 1993 when a group of geologists who were inspecting one of the craters were all killed by a sudden eruption.