Photos & Videos From The Chile Volcano Eruption

Early Wednesday evening, the Calbuco volcano in Southern Chile erupted for the first time in more than four decades. Photos and videos captured by onlookers showed billows of smoke and ash rising and spreading out miles high in the sky. The volcano has not shown signs of hot rocks or lava, according to authorities, and there have also been no reports of casualties, missing persons, or deaths so far.

According to the BBC, around 1,500 people in the town of Puerto Varas, located more than 600 miles south of the Chilean capital city Santiago, were evacuated as part of a precaution, authorities said. Neighboring Argentina also put emergency services on alert for the city of Bariloche, situated roughly 60 miles away from the eruption.

Calbuco, which has an elevation of 6,500 feet, hasn't erupted since 1972 but is considered one of the top three most dangerous volcanoes in Chile, according to the Associated Press. The South American country has the second largest chain of volcanoes in the world (Indonesia comes first) with about 2,000. Five hundred of them are potentially active. Just last month, Chile's Villarrica volcano erupted and spewed ash and lava, causing more than 3,000 people to evacuate.