Chilean volcano town nearly deserted

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By SANTIAGO LLANQUIN – 1 hour ago

CHAITEN, Chile (AP) — The Chaiten volcano spewed light ash on a nearly deserted village Saturday, two days after its first eruption in thousands of years.

No more than 45 of Chaiten's 4,500 residents remained in what looked like a ghost town, its streets, houses, cars and trees draped with a thick layer of light-colored ash, Interior Minister Edmundo Perez said.

Those who decided to stay after Thursday's eruption could be seen wearing face masks outdoors in Chaiten, 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) south of the capital, Santiago. Street lights were illuminated under darkened skies.

Just six miles (10 kilometers) away, the volcano belched fat smoke plumes that at times rose as high as 12 miles (20 kilometers) into the air, the government's Emergency Bureau said ...

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h7IpDogRa67ijkDYkOCyj5e827aAD90ECQB00