18:03 | Arequipa (Arequipa region), Jul. 20.
Nine districts in the province of Arequipa were affected by the fall of ash and gases emitted by Ubinas Volcano —located in Peru's southern Sanchez Cerro province, Moquegua region— which this morning registered
a strong explosion, whose eruptive column reached 4,500 meters above the mountain's base.
The districts that experienced ash fall and strong smells (carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide) are Chiguata, Jose Luis Bustamante y Rivero, Paucarpata, Mariano Melgar, Miraflores, Alto Selva Alegre, Cercado, Yanahuara, and Cerro Colorado.
The head of the Southern Volcano Observatory at the
Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP), Marco Rivera, said that the district that reported the highest amount of ash was Chiguata, while small particles fell in Yanahuara and Cerro Colorado.
The expert stated that the volcanic ash fall took place between 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. In some areas, the event was not perceived by the population.
Rivera remarked that the spreading of Ubinas' ash and gases to Arequipa is unusual, mainly due to the wind direction.
This time, the wind blew to the west and the southwest, where Arequipa is located, that is why various districts of the city were affected. The wind usually blows to the west and east.
The Southern Volcano Observatory's head commented that Ubinas produced an explosion in 2008, adding that the ash cloud also reached Arequipa at that time.
Additionally, Rivera underlined that the population should take preventive measures such as wearing protective glasses and face masks, in the case of constant emissions of ash and gases.
(END) RMC/MAO/RMB/MVB
Publicado: 20/7/2023