Thousands evacuated as Chile volcano spews ash

Castro, Chile: Chilean authorities were evacuating the last of thousands of residents from the vicinity of a volcano in southern Chile on Saturday, as it continued to spew fine ash for a second day after a surprise eruption.

Around 3,900 people have been evacuated from the Patagonian town of Chaiten and its surroundings since Friday, with another 500 waiting for boats to take them to the town of Castro on the island of Chiloe, slightly further north and Puerto Montt on the mainland.

Technicians were dispatched to restore phone lines in and around Chaiten and ensure electricity supplies, while experts took water samples.

"The volcanic activity is continuing, with fine ash falling in the area," the National Emergency Office, ONEMI, said in a statement. It said visibility remained poor, with ash clouding the skies, and that the smell of sulfur hung heavy in the air in some places.

Some residents wore white surgical facemasks to avoid inhaling the ash, which in some areas lay six inches deep.

Snow-capped Chaiten volcano, which is around 3,280 feet high and lies around 6 miles from the town of the same name, erupted on Friday, triggering earth tremors and spewing a cloud of ash 2 miles into the air.