Puyehue volcano south of Santiago, Chile erupts | Photos and Videos

Puyehue volcano situated 870 kilometers south of Santiago, Chile erupted for the first time in 50 years on Saturday.

Puyehue volcano south of Santiago and part of the Puyehue - Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex releasing huge plume of smoke and ash into the sky. | Photo Credit: Chilean Air Force

More than 3,500 people were evacuated and flights were canceled as the Puyehue volcano sent a cloud of ash that reached the city of Bariloche, in Argentina, where the local airport was closed.

Volcanic lightning strikes over the Puyehue volcano, on June 5, 2011 | Photo Credits: Reuters, Ivan Alvarado

The National Emergencies' Office had issued alert in nearby zones around the volcano after a flurry of earthquakes earlier on Saturday - at one point, the number of temblors reached an average of 230 per hour with the largest occurring at 8:36 a.m. (local time) on June 4th with a magnitude 4.4.

A cloud of ash from Puyehue volcano rises into the sky above Osorno in southern Chile, on June 5, 2011. | Photo Credits: Claudio Santana, Getty Images/AFP

Chile’s National Geology and Mining Service also reported a column of gas 10 kilometers high and five kilometers wide rose from Puyehue-Cordon Caulle complex, hours after warning of strong seismic activity in the area.

The last eruption of Puyehue volcano said to have occurred in 1960 following a massive 9.5 earthquake.

Meanwhile here's a collection of videos of the Puyehue volcano eruption: