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Ecuador declared a “precautionary” yellow alert before the activity of the volcano Cotopaxiwhich woke up in 2015 and has recorded earthquakes and emitted ash in the last two days, reported Sunday the National Risk Management Service (BLOOD).
The entity stated in a statement that “Declared the state of Yellow Alert due to volcanic activity in the area of influence” of Cotopaxi5,897 meters high and considered one of the most dangerous in the world due to the frequency of its eruptions.
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More than 300,000 people live in the area of influence of the perpetual snow massif and there are strategic facilities such as oil pipelines and large agricultural and livestock areas. The effects of a major eruption could affect even Quitoabout 45 kilometers.
The BLOOD indicated that the decision to order the yellow alert “it is taken under the precautionary principle” and “It implies that all contingency plans at the cantonal, provincial and national levels are updated in case the activity increases.”
This alert, which is activated in the face of a threat, is prior to the orange (for an imminent event) and the red (event in progress).
A tremor recorded on Friday in the Cotopaxi was the largest after the eruptive process of 2015, according to the Geophysical Institute of Quito.
It also emitted a column of gas and water vapor that reached 500 meters above the crater and another of ash that exceeded 2,300 meters.
The volcanic dust fell lightly in a refuge located almost 4,900 meters from Cotopaxi. Mountaineers who evacuated that site reported the smell of sulfur.
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“At the moment, the level of seismic activity of the volcano Cotopaxi decreased and remains at low levels, noted the relief agency.
Given the reactivation of the massif, whose last major eruption was in 1877, the Ministry of the Environment prohibited the entry of tourists for this weekend to the protected area that surrounds it, of some 33,000 hectares.
In Ecuador, the volcanoes Tungurahua (since 1999), Sangay and Reventador are also in the process of eruption.
Source: Elcomercio
I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.
