About 2,240 Chileans near the rumbling Copahue volcano are under a "red alert" and must evacuate.SANTIAGO — Chilean authorities ordered Monday a mandatory evacuation encompassing more than 15 miles around the active Copahue volcano, which straddles the border with neighboring Argentina.
The volcano, in south-central Chile, has seen increasing seismic activity in recent weeks, but still hasn't erupted, authorities said.
The volcano "is now in a process that has the risk of turning into an eruption, for that reason we've issued a red alert," Interior Minister Andres Chadwick said on a nationally televised press conference, reporting information from the National Geological and Mining Service (Sernageomin).
Authorities estimated that some 2,240 people will be affected by the evacuation.
