Smoke rises from the Llaima volcano, located some 850 km (528 miles) south of Santiago, Jan. 1, 2008. The Llaima volcano in southern Chile erupted on Tuesday, sending a huge plume of smoke into the air, but there were no reports of damages or injuries, emergency officials said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    SANTIAGO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- About 150 people were evacuated as the Llaima volcano in southern Chile erupted on Tuesday, but no casualties or damage were reported.

    Eyewitnesses saw thick smoke and lava emerging from Liaima, one of the most active of the dozens of volcanos in Chile.

    The 3,125-meter volcano, located inside the Conguillio National Park in the Araucania region, began spurting lava and ash in the afternoon, the National Emergency Office told journalists.

    Those evacuated were tourists and National Forest Service employees, officials said.

    More people from the nearby villages and towns would be evacuated if necessary, officials said.

    An "early alert" was declared around the volcano, which is located some 650 kilometers south of Santiago.

    The volcano, which last erupted in May, has frequent moderate eruptions.

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