Villagers flee volcano in Peru

UBINAS, Peru - Dozens of farmers have fled a town in southern Peru where a smoke-spewing volcano has raised fears of a full-fledged eruption, anticipating an evacuation set for the following day.

Most families living on the slopes of the Ubinas volcano had resisted calls to leave their homes, even though many have reported breathing problems and poisoned livestock since the mountain rumbled back to life.

Ubinas, located in the Moquegua region some 900 kms south of Lima, has been belching smoke and ash sporadically for most of the month after nearly four decades of inactivity. Small tremors have also been felt in nearby towns.

On Friday local time, the mountain coughed up another grey plume of smoke that formed a cloud several kilometres long.

Some farmers in the nearest town of Querapi offered their livestock to buyers at half price and boarded buses to the city of Arequipa, six hours away on poorly maintained roads.

"There are no more cars, we need more vehicles so people can come here," an agitated woman balancing luggage and an infant said upon arriving in Arequipa.

"We have been in bad shape for days. The water and the corn, everything is contaminated," she told local TV.

Livestock have been poisoned by eating grass coated with volcanic ash and some 20 llamas have died.

Regional officials said another 250 villagers and nearly 500 animals would be evacuated from Querapi on Saturday to a safer area nearby.

The Ubinas volcano is one of the most active in Peru. It erupted 17 times between 1550 and 1969, when it was last active.

- REUTERS