Colombian volcano spews ash, people evacuated

BOGOTA, Colombia - The Galeras volcano in southwest Colombia shot rocks, gas and ash in an eruption today that prompted the government to evacuate about 10,000 nearby residents.

Television images showed thick clouds of ash hanging over the town of Pasto in Narino province. No injuries were immediately reported.

"The negative health effects could be serious and this could be only the beginning of a series of eruptions," government disaster response coordinator Eduardo Gonzalez told reporters.

A 1993 Galeras eruption killed at least 10 people. It is one of the 15 volcanoes most closely monitored in the world due to the threat it poses to local communities.

- REUTERS