Chile volcano ash cloud flight disruption spreads

Flights in several South American countries are being disrupted by clouds of ash spewed by a Chile volcano range.

Ash, grit and pumice stones have fallen on the region since the eruption

Flight to and from the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, have been suspended, while in Chile, Santiago airport has also seen cancellations.
Earlier, Chilean authorities expanded the evacuation area around the Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle volcano range, about 800km (500 miles) south of Santiago.
It began erupting at the weekend and continues to belch a column of ash.
Aviation officials say around 60 flights - domestic and international - from Ezeiza and Aeroparque airports in Buenos Aires have been cancelled.

 

Disruption to travellers seems likely to grow with the knock-on effects of cancellations

The country's main airlines - Aerolineas Argentinas and Austral - announced that they had cancelled all flights until further notice.
Flights from Santiago to various cities in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil have also been suspended by Chilean carrier Lan and Brazil's Tam Airlines, the Spanish news agency Efe reported.
Argentine officials are monitoring the spread of the ash, and said earlier they feared some volcanic pollution could reach Buenos Aires province and the capital during Tuesday.
Several airports further south have already been closed, while border crossings between Chile and Argentina have been closed.
Officials say there is a danger of flash floods caused by rivers being silted up with volcanic grit.
Blanketed in ash
An estimated 4,000 people have already left the region around the volcanoes and Chilean officials have been trying to persuade more people to go.
They are concerned that the volcanic material could clog rivers and cause them to burst their banks.
"The forecast is for more rain on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday," an official from the national emergencies office (Onemi) told Efe news agency.
Ski slopes in the Argentine resort of Bariloche, about 100km (62 miles) east of the volcano, have been blanketed in ash.
Changing wind directions have pushed the ash cloud back and forth across southern Argentina and Chile.
This is the first serious eruption of the volcano chain since 1960, when the area was hit by a massive earthquake.
Chile is one of the most volcanic countries on Earth. There are over 3,000 volcanoes dotted along its length, and around 80 of them are active.