The volcano started on Saturday, leading emergency services to call on all 5,000 residents in Caldas and Tolima provinces to leave their homes and get to safe places.
President Juan Manuel Santos posted on his Twitter on Saturday that the area around the Nevado del Ruiz was put on red alert and that people should evacuate the area.
Even as volcanic eruption began to subside, the officials asked people to stay away from the area.
“It’s fundamental that communities near to the volcano follow all security recommendations; that means preventative evacuations and that people remain calm,” Carlos Ivan Marquez, who heads the security effort, said.
“Until this moment nobody is affected since Manizales and Ibague cities’ alert systems were activated when the eruption occurred,” Marquez added.
Nevado del Ruiz last erupted in 1985, affecting 20 towns in Caldas and Tolima. The eruption brought a river of rocks, mud and lava at the time and swept across the town of Armero, killing as many as 25,000 and injured 5,000 others.
SAB/JR/AZ
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