Santiago (AFP) - Southern Chile's Calbuco volcano erupted for the first time in nearly half a century, spewing a giant funnel of ash 10 kilometers (six miles) into the sky and prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency.
Officials ordered an evacuation for a 20-kilometer radius around the volcano and the interior ministry rushed in the army to temporarily take control of the province of Llanquihue and the town of Puerto Octay.
Emergency measures were also in place in neighboring Argentina, where the picturesque city of Bariloche -- about 100 kilometers from the
volcano -- said it was anticipating the arrival of ash clouds within hours and warned people to stay at home.
Puerto Montt, over the border from Bariloche and the largest Chilean city in the area, was already blanketed in a cloud of ash.
"People are very, very frightened," said Gervoy Paredes, mayor of Puerto Montt.
"The situation is pretty complicated," he added, saying reports indicated the Blanco river was flooding because of ice melt triggered by the eruption.
Airlines canceled flights as the towering, mushroom-shaped ash cloud rose from Calbuco's snowy peak.
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