Copahue Volcano Activity Puts Chile And Argentina On Red Alert; Thousands Evacuate [VIDEO]

As the Copahue volcano spewed steam and ash as high as a mile into the sky, the Chilean Geological Survey (Sernageomin) and the National Emergency Office (Onemi) raised the alert level to red and ordered the mandatory evacuation of a 15.5-mile radius around the volcano, which is situated on the border of Chile and Argentina. Some 2,240 people will be evacuated in Chile, while Argentine authorities also declared a red alert and called for some 900 people in the Neuquen province to be evacuated, according to Reuters. Watch footage of the volcano's activity here.

The red alert is reserved for volcanic status in which an eruption is either imminent or in progress, according to Wired.com. Copahue has been trembling; Sernageomin said in an update that over 250 tremors related to the movement of magna in the volcano have been recorded.

"This does not mean that the volcano will necessarily erupt, but the red alert is essential, as it leads us as the authority to realize the evacuation. Our principal duty is the protection of the population," said Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick.

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In Argentina, authorities had previously declared a yellow alert for the volcano, but later revised it to a red alert, the highest possible alert level, according to the BBC.

In the Bio Bio region of Chile, near the border which the volcano straddles, the hydroelectric company Endesa Chile has been monitoring the situation closely. Endesa operates the nearby Ralco and Pangue dams, which have not been affected by the evacuation order. The Telegraph reports that water levels at the dams are at technical lows, which obviates the possible need to open floodgates. The dams' walls are also designed to withstand earthquakes.

The director of Onemi, Ricardo Toro, said that heavy rains moving over the region could cause problems in the evacuation process, and as such that shelters were being set up for people who could not easily leave.

Ash from a volcano in Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights in Argentina and Uruguay in mid-2011.